
Class _Li; 

Book 11A__^^ 

Copyright N° 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 







'tifiarterftSnfman 



Sunday Afternoons With 
Railroad Men 



TWELVE ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE AUDITORIUM OF THE 

P. R. R. DEPARTMENT, Y. M. C. A. 

41st AND WESTMINSTER AVE., PHILADELPHIA 



BY 



CHARLES R. ERDMAN 

Professor of Practical Theology in Princeton Seminary 

Pastor of the Overbrook Presbyterian Church, Phila., 1891-1897 

Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Germantown, 

Phila., 1897-1906 



PHILADELPHIA 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION AND 

SABBATH SCHOOL WORK 

1906 



&*%* 

^t- 8 



LIBRARY of CONGRE3S 
Two Copies Received 

NOV 17 1906 

CLASS fC XXc, No, 

/4tfJf/ 

COPY B. 



Copyright, 1906, by 

The Teustees of the Presbyterian Board 

or Publication and Sabbath 

School Work. 



Published October, 1906. 



CONTENTS 



Ready for Work 9 

Fishers of Men 21 

Fou,owing Christ 37 

Balaam 53 

The Rechabites 63 

Samson in "Disgrace 77 

The Message of Christmas 89 

"Founded Upon a Rock" 101 

"The Lame Man Headed" 113 

Andrew 127 

"The Cau, of Matthew" 141 

"The Waik to Emmaus" 157 

3 



It has been my privilege, during twelve successive 
seasons, to address the Sunday afternoon meetings of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad Department of the Young 
Men's Christian Association of Philadelphia. The fol- 
lowing addresses, selected from stenographic reports of 
the most recent series, are published at the request of 

fellow-workers and friends. 

Chas. R. Erdman 

Princeton, New Jersey 
October, 1906 



I 

READY FOR WORK 



In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting 
upon a throne, high and lifted up ; and bis train filled the temple. 
Above him stood the seraphim : each one had six wings ; with 
twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, 
and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and 
said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts : the whole earth 
is full of his glory. And the foundations of the thresholds 
shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled 
with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because 
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people 
of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of 
hosts. 

Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal 
in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off 
the altar : and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this 
hath touched thy lips ; and thine iniquity is taken away, and 
thy sin forgiven. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, 
Here am I ; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, 
Hear ye indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but 
perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their 
ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, 
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, 
and turn again, and be healed. Then said I. Lord, how long? 
And he answered, Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and 
houses without man, and the land become utterly waste, and 
Jehovah have removed men far away, and the forsaken places 
be many in the midst of the land. And if there be yet a tenth 
in it, it also shall in turn be eaten up : as a terebinth, and as 
an oak, whose stock remaineth, when they are felled ; so the 
holy seed is the stock thereof. Isaiah 6. 



Sunday Afternoons With Railroad Men 



READY FOR WORK 

It was a remarkable and memorable experi- 
ence by which Isaiah was prepared for his pro- 
phetic work. A somewhat similar experience, 
however, is needed by each one of us, if we are 
to be able to undertake successfully the service 
which is allotted to us. We, too, are prophets. 
We are privileged "to speak for God," as we 
seek, in this Association, to bring men to a sav- 
ing knowledge of Christ. We can go farther and 
say that a similar experience is needed by every 
man who would accomplish faithfully and well 
his daily task. Possibly we are too ready to 
divide men into classes, and to imagine that 
some are more in need of religious experiences 
than others. Let us rather remember that 
whether we are to find our place of service on 
the engine, in the office, in the pulpit, or in the 
9 



10 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

shop, we need to catch the vision which Isaiah 
saw. 

"I saw the Lord." In these four words we 
find the sum and substance of this interesting 
story; and what we are all needing is a new 
and brighter vision of Christ. In the case of 
Isaiah, he is supposed to have gone to the temple 
to worship, and while bowing there the beauti- 
ful building seemed to dissolve and disappear, 
and in its place the prophet beheld the dwelling 
place of the Most High God; he saw the Lord 
seated upon a throne. The robe of light in 
which he was clothed swept down and covered 
the temple floor, leaving no place for the sera- 
phim to stand. They supported themselves up- 
on wings, which at the same time hid their feet 
and their faces. They sang a responsive song — 
"Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of hosts: the 
whole earth is full of his glory." At the men- 
tion of the divine Name, the foundations of the 
temple quaked, and incense floated upward to 
veil the vision from the prophet's sight. 

It was this startling revelation of the holiness 
and power of God, by which Isaiah was pre- 
pared for his wonderful service ; and such a vis- 
ion we need to seek. It is not something mysti- 
cal or mysterious that we need; yet something 
like Isaiah's vision we must have. Our need is, 
that Christ should become to us more vivid and 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 11 

more real. We are told that St. Francis of Assisi 
had a mystical vision of Christ when he had 
gone alone to pray in the little chapel on the 
mountain side. To his enraptured vision, his 
Lord appeared in the form of a seraph. So 
intently did St. Francis look upon him that his 
body underwent a marvelous change; in his 
own hands and feet became imprinted the 
marks of the wounds which the disciples saw 
in the hands of the risen Christ. Perhaps we 
may doubt the historic truth of such a story. 
There is surely this reality about it, that St. 
Francis ever had a vivid, mental image of 
Christ, and a consuming passion for him who 
had loved him and had died for him. We need 
not seek the experience of the old mystic, but we 
should strive to attain to such a sense of the 
personal presence, power, holiness, and love 
of our Lord. 

"I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasy; 

No sudden rending of the veil of clay; 
No angel visitant, no opening skies; 

But take the dimness of my soul away." 

We are told that Lord Tennyson, when once 
asked what was the greatest desire of his heart, 
replied, "A clearer vision of God." If we, then, 
are to be prepared for the work which lies be- 
fore us, we need to gain a clearer vision of our 
Lord. 



12 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

The Method by which such an experience can 
be had, may in some particulars, be suggested 
by this story from the life of the prophet. It 
may be that as we meet together in some such 
place as this, where men are thinking and talk- 
ing of our living Lord, the speaker and hearers 
will disappear from our thought, and we shall 
see with clearer vision the glory and the power 
of him whom we serve; but more probably we 
shall attain our end along some simpler and 
more familiar path. Some of you may have 
heard the address of Mr. John E. Mott, which 
he delivered before the Convention of Railroad 
Men in Detroit, when he spoke of "making 
Christ a reality." He made a reference to the 
life of Chinese Gordon, which suggests an ob- 
vious method of making Christ real; namely, 
the study of the life and words of Christ. "In 
times of barrenness or coldness," wrote General 
Gordon, "I read the Scriptures much; that is, 
when Christ recedes I apply my mind and 
heart to the Scriptures, and he comes back 
again." This is a method we can all follow. 
Let us resolve anew to observe the "Morning 
Watch ;" to read a definite portion of the life of 
Christ each day; and let us ask that when we 
meet here to speak together of the things con- 
cerning Christ, we may see him with a vision 
ever more clear. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 13 

Prayer also is a natural way of attaining our 
end. Isaiah was probably in prayer when he 
caught his vision, and our Lord was himself 
in prayer when he became transfigured before 
his disciples. It matters not where we pray, 
whether on the road, or in the home, or in the 
church. As we speak with Christ, his presence 
becomes more real, however simple our prayer 
may be. 

Then, too, it is suggested that we associate 
with men to whom Christ is real. That is evi- 
dently one end to be secured by the work of a 
Christian Association. Choose your compan- 
ions from those who are faithfully following 
your Lord, and their conversation and their 
faith will help to clarify your spiritual vision. 

Then, too, seek to keep your thoughts and 
your life sweet and clean. "Blessed are the pure 
in heart: for they shall see God." Nothing so 
dims the spiritual vision as impure thoughts 
and unholy deeds. 

By all these methods, and others which may 
suggest themselves to your minds, we should 
seek for a vision of the Lord. We are there- 
fore suggesting no mystical, sudden, or strange 
experience, but rather a constantly increasing 
sense that Jesus Christ our Lord is 

"A living, bright reality, 
More dear, more intimately nigh 
Than e'en the sweetest earthly tie." 



14 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

The result of such an experience may be dis- 
tressing at first. It was so in the case of Isaiah. 
He cried out, "Woe is me! for I am undone; 
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I 
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : 
for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of 
hosts." That was perfectly natural; not be- 
cause the prophet was a peculiarly great sin- 
ner, but because he had a divine standard of 
comparison in mind, and in the presence of per- 
fect holiness he became conscious of his sinful 
self. The greatest saints have ever been the 
most ready to confess their sin. Do not be dis- 
couraged if the thought of Christ, as living and 
present, results in a distressing vision of self; 
for as soon as there is confession, there is par- 
don and cleansing. So we read of Isaiah, "Then 
flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a 
live coal in his hand, which he had taken with 
the tongs from off the altar : and he touched my 
mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched 
thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, 
and thy sin forgiven." This was the strange 
thing, not that Isaiah was conscious of guilt; 
but that sin was so soon purged. It is not 
strange that we feel unworthy to enter upon 
this work of bringing men to Christ, when we 
realize how unworthy we are of such service. 
The remarkable thing is this, that in the pres- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 15 

ence of our Lord we can feel a sense of ac- 
ceptance, and pardon, and peace. You see that 
poor woman entering the room where the Sav- 
iour is reclining at the feast. You know she 
is a sinner, and you are not surprised that as 
she kneels at his feet the hot tears fall fast; 
but you are rather surprised that at a single 
word from the Saviour, she rises in gladness, 
and goes away in perfect peace. We believe 
that "the Son of man hath authority on earth to 
forgive sins." We believe that "if we confess, 
our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive 
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unright- 
eousness." We confidently declare that, however 
dark the past may have been, each man present 
here to-day can be so truly cleansed by the 
blood and power of Christ that he can begin 
to do definite personal work with a view to 
bringing some fellow-man into the service of 
his Lord. 

What we need is complete devotion to 
this service, and this naturally follows when 
one believes in the forgiveness which Christ 
has purchased with his own precious blood. 
Such was indeed the experience of Isaiah. As 
soon as he had received the assurance of par- 
don he hears "the voice of the Lord, saying, 
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" 
and at once the prophet replies, "Here am I; 



16 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

send me." There was something pathetic in 
that divine cry, "Whom shall I send?" as though 
the Lord had very few who were ready to 
undertake his work — and he did have but few — 
and when our Saviour came, and wished to 
make known the truth to all the world, there 
were but few whom he could send. You re- 
member his word, "The harvest indeed is plente- 
ous, but the laborers are few." And there are 
only a few to-day who are ready for the Mas- 
ter's service. There are many who profess the 
name of Christ, many whose names are on the 
rolls of Christian churches, many members of 
Christian Associations, but how few of all this 
number are ready to enlist in definite personal 
work! How few are willing to do anything 
that the Lord may give them to do! Let us 
not undertake such service until our lives are 
clean, and our hearts are pure; but if trusting 
in Christ as our Saviour from sin, let us turn 
to him to-day as our Master and Lord; and as 
we look out upon the men round us who are 
Christless, Godless, hopeless, let us say as 
Isaiah said, "Here am I, send me." 

'Til go where you want me to go, dear Lord; 
I'll be what you want me to be." 

It will require courage. It was no easy task 
which was assigned to Isaiah. As the chapter 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 17 

comes to its close, we read that he was warned 
of the unwillingness of the people to listen to 
his word. The more earnestly he preached, the 
more stubborn they were to become, until their 
godlessness was to result in captivity, and the 
land was to be destroyed. Yet a remnant was 
to be saved; some would heed the word of the 
prophet. They would be for the nation like 
the stock of an oak tree which had been felled : 
It would in time spring up and stretch out its 
great branches. So from the little band of 
people whom Isaiah was to bring back to God, 
would come forth that nation, among whom was 
to appear the Christ, the Saviour of the world. 
The work which each one of us may accom- 
plish, may appear to us insignificant and diffi- 
cult; but let us be of good courage. If we are 
truly devoted to the service of our Master, then 
the results are in his hand, and through us he 
will accomplish a greater work than we have 
ever dreamed. 

'Toil on, faint not, keep watch and pray; 
Be wise the erring soul to win; 
Go forth into the world's highway, 
Compel the wanderer to come in." 

It is because we realize the need of faithful 
Christian work among railroad men, that we 
should seek such a vision of our Lord as is de- 



18 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

scribed for us in this story from the life of the 
prophet of old. You may remember that the 
knights of King Arthur set forth in search of 
"the Holy Grail." They longed to catch a 
glimpse of that cup which had held the sacred 
blood of the Saviour. Let us go forth on a 
truer and nobler quest. Let us seek to gain 
a vision of the glory and power of our living 
and present Lord. We shall thus be prepared 
to confess our faults, to consecrate our lives, 
and to undertake his work. We shall know 
something of the blessedness of which Bernard 
sings : — 

"Jesus, the very thought of thee, 

With sweetness fills my breast; 
But sweeter far thy face to see 
And in thy presence rest." 



II 

FISHERS OF MEN 



After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the 
disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and he manifested himself on 
this wise. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas, called 
Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of 
Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith 
unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also come 
with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat ; and 
that night they took nothing. But when day was now breaking, 
Jesus stood on the beach : yet the disciples knew not that it 
was Jesus. Jesus therefore saith unto them, Children, have ye 
aught to eat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, 
Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. 
They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for 
the multitude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus 
loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon Peter 
heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him (for he 
was naked), and cast himself into the sea. But the other 
disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from 
the land, but about two hundred cubits off), dragging the net 
full of fishes. So when they got out upon the land, they see 
a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus 
saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now taken. 
Simon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to land, full 
of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three : and for all 
there were so many, the net was not rent. Jesus saith unto them, 
Come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst 
inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 
Jesus cometh, and taketh the bread, and giveth them, and 
the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was 
manifested to the disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 

So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these? 
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love 
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him 
again a second time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? 
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. 
He saith unto him, Tend my sheep. He saith unto him the 
third time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was 
grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou 
me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; 
thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed 
my sheep, John 21 ; 1-17, 



II 

FISHERS OF MEN 

Last Sunday we were studying together a 
story from the Old Testament, which told us 
of the preparation for service given to a proph- 
et, by a vision of his Lord. This afternoon we 
are to review an incident from the New Tes- 
tament, which tells us of a vision of the risen 
Christ, which prepared his followers for their 
glorious task. It is the early morning scene 
beside that little inland Sea of Galilee. Simon 
Peter had suggested to his friends that they 
should "go a-fishing." A party of seven had 
started out in the evening, and had fished all 
the night through. As dawn was beginning to 
break, they heard a voice from the shore, call- 
ing to them, and asking what they had caught. 
They say that they have taken nothing ; and then 
the voice replies, "Cast the net on the right side 
of the boat, and ye shall find;" and so they 
let the net down as directed, and as soon 
as they had done this the net inclosed a 



22 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

great school of fishes. Instantly, the beloved 
disciple, John, recognizes his Master, and cries 
out, "It is the Lord!" Peter, impatient of de- 
lay, leaps overboard and swims ashore. When 
the boat with their friends has touched the 
beach, they gather round their Lord, and are 
surprised, not only by his unexpected presence, 
but also to find that he has prepared for them 
a breakfast, and on the coals they find bread 
is baking, and fish are broiling. When they 
have breakfasted together, the Master hears the 
confession of Peter's love, and commends him 
anew to service in his name. 

Such is the story. It is one of the accounts 
which we have of the ten or eleven appear- 
ances of our Lord after his resurrection; but 
it has a special message for us to-day, as it 
speaks to us of the aim, the encouragement, 
and the motive, which we have in our work for 
Christ. 

First of all, then, it suggests that in bringing 
men to Christ we are "fishers of men," or, as 
the words really mean, we are "saving men 
alive." This is the great work which lies be- 
fore us during the coming months. Such is 
the first message which the Saviour brought 
to his disciples on that memorable morning: 
"Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 23 

of men." He did not speak these words at that 
time, did he ? No ; but just as soon as they saw 
the miracle they recalled the meaning that he 
had assigned to a similar miracle three years 
before. You remember how, when Christ was 
first calling men into his service, he went down 
to the seashore and borrowed a fishing boat 
from Peter. He used the boat as a pulpit, and 
then, when the sermon was ended, he told Peter 
to push out from the shore, and to let down his 
net. Peter replied, "Master, we toiled all night, 
and took nothing: but at thy word I will let 
down the nets." You remember the miracle 
which followed; the great catch of fish; and 
the words which our Saviour spoke, and which 
I have already repeated, "Come ye after me, 
and I will make you fishers of men." So 
now, when Christ has risen from the dead, 
and is sending out his disciples on their great 
mission, he works through them this similar 
miracle, to suggest that if they obey him, they 
will be used to save men. He is thus repeating 
the former message by a second striking ob- 
ject lesson. He is telling them that they are 
not to be merely fishermen, but life-savers. 
"You will save men alive." 

That is exactly what we are trying to do by 
the work of this Association. We are seeking 



24 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

to save men by drawing them toward the loving, 
living Christ. It is a great thing to have the 
shores of our loved land dotted with life-saving 
stations ; but it is true that every church, every 
chapel, and every Christian Association 
throughout the length and breadth of this land 
is a life-saving station. We are striving, with 
the equipment of this great building, to do 
many other things, which will help men toward 
a fuller and a larger life ; but our first aim is to 
seek those who are lost. These meetings are 
held, and our Association work is being con- 
ducted, so that we can take one man after an- 
other who is in peril, who is fighting against 
temptation, who is being drawn down by deadly 
currents, and lift him up to light and life, to 
holiness and God. To be fishers of men, to 
be saviours of men — this is indeed blessed 
work. 

One of our friends in this Association cele- 
brated last Sunday afternoon his fifth anniver- 
sary as a child of God, and I remember what 
was said by one who is specially interested 
in our work: "It seems to me that if nothing 
else has been accomplished by erecting this 
building, and carrying on this work, other 
than the reforming of that one life, and the 
transformation of that one home, the work 
would have been a great success." Why so? 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 25 

Because one soul is of such supreme value ; one 
life of such priceless worth. We can truly re- 
joice that we are banded together anew in our 
effort to save men. 

A few weeks ago I was in Central Pennsyl- 
vania, and as I stood one evening looking out 
over the broad river, a story came into my mind 
in connection with the old bridge of the town. 
I do not know the exact truth of the incident, 
but it illustrates this work of ours. It is said 
that on a certain occasion, when the river was 
swollen with the spring floods, a man had float- 
ed out from the shore in a little boat without 
oars, and was being borne swiftly down the 
stream. Word was telegraphed down to the 
town that the boat would pass in a very short 
time under that bridge, which spans the river. 
Immediately a number of men provided them- 
selves with ropes, hurried to the bridge, and, 
standing at intervals, hung down one rope af- 
ter another, so that, wherever the boat might 
pass, the man might have a chance for his life ; 
and, sure enough, before long there came the 
boat, drawing nearer and nearer to the bridge. 
The poor man saw what was being done, and 
just at the right instant he grasped a rope, 
and his life was saved. 

Is not that exactly what we are seeking to 
do? Are we not throwing out ropes and ex- 



26 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

tending a helping hand to one man after an- 
other who is in peril of being lost? We are 
not called merely to rejoice in our own safety; 
nor to fold our hands in idleness when we our- 
selves have been saved; we are sent to work 
for the saving of others; to forget ourselves, 
and to strive to rescue every man whom we see 
to be in need. 

In the second place, this story suggests to 
us the encouragement we have in our service. 
The encouragement is this, that we are being 
supported, aided and sustained, by an unseen 
but ever-present Master and Lord. All the ap- 
pearances of Christ after his resurrection were 
designed in part to teach the disciples the truth 
of his continual presence. He would appear to 
them suddenly, when least expected, in an up- 
per room, or as they were walking by the way, 
or as they were gathered on a mountain top, 
to teach them that he was ever near. So when 
he appears to these fishermen in their unsuc- 
cessful toil in the twilight of that early morn- 
ing, he wishes them to understand that what- 
ever their labor, he will ever be near them, 
to aid and to sustain. 

This truth will surely strengthen us. We 
are not called to labor in our own strength or 
wisdom. One who has all power in heaven and 
in earth is with us as He was with those disci- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 27 

pies of old. He wished to show them that they 
could look to him for guidance, and could de- 
pend on him for support; for this reason he 
gives the direction which leads to their success, 
and then invites them to share the breakfast 
which he himself has provided. Have we failed 
in our effort to bring some soul to Christ? Pos- 
sibly we have not been looking to him for wis- 
dom and help. Are we afraid to undertake some 
special work? Possibly we are forgetting how 
ready he is to supply the needed power and 
grace. 

When Stanley was about to be sent on his 
first expedition, the telegram which summoned 
him was very brief. It was in substance, "Go, 
find Livingstone." No matter how great the dif- 
ficulty, no matter how long the task, no matter 
what the peril, he was to penetrate to the 
very heart of Africa ; he was to save the great 
missionary explorer. Yet there was one thing 
else in that telegram. Stanley would never 
have started if the message had included noth- 
ing more. Just enough was added and enough 
implied in the signature of the telegram to sug- 
gest that all the money which was needed, and 
all the supplies he might require, were at his 
command. Our Master is sending you forth 
to-day, sending you back to the home, sending 
you out on the engine to-morrow, or to the 



28 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

office, or to the shop, and he is saying, "I know 
you can do nothing in your own strength, but 
draw on me for support; depend on me for 
help, and for the wisdom and courage you need, 
and I will give it you." "Lo, I am with you 
always, even unto the end of the world." 

Let us consider, however, in the last place, 
what motive will keep us at work. There is 
but one, — Love; love for our fellow-men, and, 
above all, love for Christ. This message is 
emphasized in the story we are studying to- 
day. In this beautiful morning scene there 
are several features which suggest to us this 
motive. There is the keen vision of John, who 
was first to recognize his Master, because he 
lived nearest to his Master's heart; and then 
there is Peter, the poor backslider, who 
wishes to swim ashore, unwilling to wait for 
the boat, the progress of which is impeded 
by the burdened net. Three years before, on 
a similar occasion, he cried, "Depart from me; 
for I am a sinful man," but he has learned to 
love his Lord more since then. It is true he 
denied him, but with infinite compassion the 
risen Christ appeared to Peter, first of all the 
disciples, to speak to him words of pardon 
and peace. No wonder Peter loves that Master 
now; no wonder he is so eager to greet him on 
the shore in that early twilight. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 29 

But this motive of love is especially manifest- 
ed in that remarkable interview which follows. 
Three times the Saviour asks Peter to confess 
his love, and three times Peter repeats the 
avowal of his devotion. 

There are many truths suggested here. This 
one at least we can unite with what has gone 
before; the miracle has been a picture of serv- 
ice; the interview can be a message of love. It 
must be love for our fellow-men which moves 
us to bring them to Christ. I remember the 
story of a poor old woman who would not be 
saved alone. She wanted somebody else to 
be saved with her. It was a story of the flood 
down in Alabama. A number of poor colored 
people had taken refuge on the top of an old 
corn shed, which seemed about to be swept 
away. There they clung, with the surging 
waters all about them. Some men in a boat 
came out to rescue them, and as the boat 
came near the rescuers cried, "Let the women 
and children come first !" Just as the crowded 
boat was about to push away, one old woman 
was heard to cry, "Can't you take my old man, 
too?" "No, we cannot take him," was the an- 
swer. "Then let me go back," and up she 
crawled to the roof, to die with her poor old 
husband. As the boat drew away into the 
darkness, her voice was heard singing: — 



30 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

"I'se clingin' to the ark, 
Let me in, let me in ; 
For the water's deep and dark, 
Let me in, let me in." 

And they left her there. But another boat 
was found and was sent back to complete the 
work of rescue. As they came near, those in the 
boat heard her singing again : — 

"The Lord hab heard my cry, 
Let me in, let me in; 
He will save us, by and by, 
Let me in, let me in." 

She was willing to be saved when her hus- 
band could be saved, too. 

How many persons are there here who be- 
lieve they are saved, but are not sure their 
households are saved ? How many mothers and 
fathers are here who believe that their boys 
are without Christ? How do you feel about 
the man you meet every day on your engine or 
in your office? Are you willing to be saved 
without him? 

Love for our fellow-men will make us "fish- 
ers of men ;" but there is even a higher motive. 
Love for Christ will make us work for Christ. 
Jesus did not say to Peter, "Do you love these 
men?" but, "Lovest thou me?" That was the 
point. There are many people in this world 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 31 

who are not very lovely. We might be willing 
to save the people we love, and still be careless 
about the unkind, sinful people we have neither 
known nor loved ; but when we love Jesus Christ 
we will love them, too, and will for his sake do 
for them all we can. 

A little story was handed me a few days 
ago, which speaks about the power of love. 
It was manifested by a little newsboy whose 
mother had been taken from him. They had 
lived together, helping one another, and 
when she died he felt that he had lost every- 
thing in the world. He wished to show his af- 
fection, so he went to a yard where monumental 
marbles were being carved, but was disap- 
pointed to find that he could not afford to pur- 
chase a stone. He happened to spy a piece 
of granite that had been broken by accident. 
He asked if he might have it. "Yes, you can," 
replied the superintendent; "but what are you 
going to do with it?" "I am going to take it 
over yonder, and put it on my mother's grave." 
A day or two after he came with a little four- 
wheeled cart, and the men helped him put the 
piece of stone on it, and started the boy on his 
way to the cemetery. The superintendent of 
the yard was so interested in the boy that after 
a time he went to the cemetery to see what had 
become of the stone. He asked the man in 



32 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

charge if he had seen anything of the boy. 
The man took him to the grave of the boy's 
mother and pointed out to him the stone. On 
it he saw an inscription rudely drawn in great 
capital letters. They read something like this : 

"MY MOTHER SHEE DIDE LAST WEEK 

SHEE WAS ALL I HAD 

SHEE SED SHEAD BE WAITING FUR— " 

That was all there was on the stone, and 
then the superintendent heard the following ex- 
planation: "The little fellow came out here 
day after day, and cut these letters himself on 
that piece of stone. One day I missed him, and 
nothing was heard of him for some days, and 
then a man came out from the church to which 
his mother had belonged, and ordered a little 
grave dug; here it is. You see the little chap 
was coming out here to finish his work, but 
as he was crossing the street there was a run- 
away ; he got under the wheels and was killed ; 
and when they picked him up they found in 
his hand a little old file that had been sharp- 
ened to a point, and with that file he had been 
cutting those letters on the monument in mem- 
ory of his mother, just because he loved her so. 
When the men back in the yard heard the story, 
they clubbed together and bought that stone for 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 33 

the little grave, and on it they put first his name 
and then these words : 'He loved his mother/ 
When the boys and girls came out from the 
Sunday School, I heard the superintendent say 
to them: 'My children, I would rather have 
that put on my tombstone, and lie there by that 
little boy, than to be the veriest king in all the 
world, and yet fail to love my mother.' " 

"He loved her." What will love not do? Is 
there anything too hard for love, any obstacle 
too great — the love of a mother for her son; 
the love of a child for its mother? Surely the 
love of Christ for you, and your love for Christ, 
will send you forth as you have never gone be- 
fore, to serve in "his blessed name." 

3 



Ill 

FOLLOWING CHRIST 



And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them 
was the greatest. But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their 
heart, he took a little child, and set him by his side, and said 
unto them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name 
receiveth me : and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him 
that sent me : for he that is least among you all, the same 
is great. 

And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting 
out demons in thy name ; and we forbade him, because he follow- 
eth not with us. But Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not : for 
he that is not against you is for you. 

And it came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come 
that he should be received ud, he stedfastly set his face to go 
to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face : and they 
went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make 
ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face 
was as though he were going to Jerusalem. And when his dis- 
ciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that 
we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them? 

But he turned, and rebuked them. And they went to an- 
other village. 

And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto him, 
I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said 
unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven 
have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, 
suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said unto him, 
Leave the dead to bury their own dead ; but go thou and pub- 
lish abroad the kingdom of God. 

And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord ; but first 
suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But 
Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, 
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9 : 46-62. 



Ill 

FOLLOWING CHRIST 

Our afternoon Scripture lesson suggested to 
us six moving pictures, six dissolving views, 
six striking scenes, from the life of our Lord. 
The first three represented his disciples, and 
the last three concerned men who were meeting 
Jesus for the last time, as he was on his way 
to Jerusalem and to the cross. Those first 
three scenes may be helpful to those of us who 
already call ourselves Christians; and the last 
three may bear a very definite and helpful mes- 
sage to the men and women here, who, once 
more this afternoon, it may be for the last time, 
are being urged faithfully, openly, and honestly 
to follow Jesus Christ. 

The first scene presents to us the disciples 
as they are engaged in a heated argument. 
"There arose a reasoning among them, which 
of them was the greatest;" that is, greatest 
"in the kingdom of heaven." That was the 
Question they were discussing; and there was 
37 



38 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

something very admirable about the discussion. 
They evidently regarded the kingdom of heaven 
as a reality, and they thought it worth while 
to enter in, and to attain a high place in its 
glory. Perhaps if some of us had just as much 
faith, we might sometimes argue about the 
same facts. If heaven were just as real to us 
as the present world, as real to us as this build- 
ing and our homes are, if the friends yonder 
were just as much in our thoughts and hearts, 
just as actual to us as our friends here are, 
I think we might sometimes question what our 
place is to be in heaven. 

Yet our Saviour rebuked them; for while 
there was something of faith about their dis- 
cussion, there was much more of pride; and 
there is no place for pride among the followers 
of Christ. He took a little child and placed 
him beside him and said, "Whosoever shall re- 
ceive this little child in my name receiveth me 
. . . for he that is least among you all, the same 
is great." He took a little child because they 
were talking about heaven, and heaven belongs 
to little children. If there is any poor mother 
here whose little one has been taken from her 
into the yonder land, she can be absolutely sure 
that the little one is to-day in the presence of 
Jesus Christ, because "to such belongeth the 
kingdom of heaven." And there is no greater 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 39 

service in this world than to care for little chil- 
dren. We are surrounded by "little children;" 
by men and women who have less strength than 
we have; less strength of mind, less strength of 
character, less strength of body, — who have 
limitations which we do not have. To be of 
service to such, in the name of Christ, is to be 
great in the sight of our Lord. Lowly service 
is the measure of greatness. That is the mes- 
sage. 

Do not think that greatness consists in hav- 
ing the highest place. It consists in serving 
and helping those who are like children in their 
helplessness and their need. "Whosoever shall 
receive this little child in my name receiveth 
me." 

Only a few days ago Dr. Barnardo died, in 
London — a man who had been used of God in 
rescuing, saving, and giving life to thousands 
of orphans. I suppose among all the nobility 
of England, you could not find a man greater 
than he, who has given his life to save the 
little ones. I tell you it is just so here to-day. 
Those of us who are greatest in the sight of 
our Lord are not those of us who occupy the 
highest place, but those of us who are willing 
to do the little things, and the humble service, 
for his sake. There is no place for pride among 
his followers. 



40 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

"John answered and said, Master, we saw 
one casting out demons in thy name ; and we for- 
bade him, because he followeth not with us." 
He "answered," of course, because Jesus had 
said that if one did anything "in his name" 
he would be rendering him a service. So John 
was saying, "I rendered thee a service, I for- 
bade a man, who was casting out devils in thy 
name, to do it." There was something admira- 
ble in John's action. He so loved his Master 
that he wished everybody to follow in that little 
company of disciples. He would have liked to 
have had all the people in Galilee as followers 
of Christ. 

Now, there is something admirable about a 
man who loves his own denomination, and who 
wishes to have other men join his society of 
Christians. If any man is sure that he has 
found the shortest way to heaven and the most 
secure, I do not blame him for wanting others 
to follow along that same path. That is all 
right. But Jesus rebuked John, and said unto 
him, "Forbid him not : for he that is not against 
you is for you." It was as if he had said : "Why 
John, it is all right to love your own denom- 
ination or your own little society of Christians ; 
but never stand in the way of another 
man's work for Christ. Do not try to oppose 
what another denomination is doing in the Mas- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 41 

ter's name. Do not in any way discourage any 
other disciple of Christ because he does not fol- 
low with you." We cannot expect all Chris- 
tians to belong to the same denomination, or 
to subscribe to the same creed, or to worship 
in the same way. This is the question : Is good 
being done, and is it being done in the name of 
Christ? John should not have forbidden one 
who was casting out devils and who was doing 
it in his Master's name. No wonder Jesus re- 
buked him. If any man, no matter what his 
denomination, is seeking to save men, and to 
cast out devils in the name of Christ, let us bid 
him "Godspeed." There is no place for bigotry 
among the followers of Christ. 

That great convention that met in New York 
City, and closed ten days ago, that conference 
in reference to the Federation of Churches, 
was a magnificent exhibition of what Christ 
had in mind. All these different denominations, 
twenty-eight in number, representing eighteen 
millions of Christians, came together to say: 
"Let us all agree to work side by side; and let 
us not insist that every one shall follow in ex- 
actly the same little company." "Forbid him 
not : for he that is not against you is for you." 

Then, as Jesus "steadfastly set his face to 
go to Jerusalem," we have another scene. 
He was entering a village of the Samaritans, 



42 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

and the Samaritans would not receive him. 
John cried, "Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to 
come down from heaven, and consume them?" 
Now, there was something rather admirable in 
John's spirit. He was rather on his mettle, I 
think. He had just made a great mistake about 
that man who was casting out demons, and he 
thought he would retrieve himself. He loved 
his Master, and he could not bear to see him 
insulted. There is something admirable in the 
feeling of a man who, when he hears his Mas- 
ter's name used profanely, and when he sees 
his Master's cause being thwarted and opposed, 
is filled with a certain righteous indignation, 
and distress. There may be something admir- 
able in such love for the Master; and yet the 
Master rebuked John. He turned and said, 
"John, ye know not what manner of spirit 
ye are of." "And they went to another village." 
He was saying, "John, there is no place for in- 
tolerance among my followers." Even though 
Christ may be insulted, even though his name 
may be used ever so profanely, it is not for you 
or for me to show anger, or try to injure any 
man. There is a time of judgment coming, and 
there will be a day when, as the apostle Paul 
said, those who have refused the gospel of 
Christ "shall suffer punishment, even eternal de- 
struction from the face of the Lord." That day 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 43 

is coming, but we are not living in that day. 
We are living in "an accepted time," in a 
"day of salvation." God is long-suffering, and 
very patient. Even though this man may re- 
ject Christ, that man may turn his back upon 
him, and a third man may profane his name, 
and may defy him to his face, this is not a 
time of vengeance. No, it is a time of patience 
and gentleness ; and if you and I follow Christ, 
we must be kind, gentle, forbearing, and for- 
giving. If you have been insulted this week, 
because you are a Christian, if there is some 
one who is making your life miserable because 
you are trying to follow Christ, do not think 
of revenge, do not think of showing unkindness, 
do not think of cruelty, but seek by your pa- 
tience, your forbearance, and your forgiveness 
to show "what spirit ye are of" — the spirit of 
gentleness, kindness, and love, that you may 
win some soul for Christ. There is no place 
for intolerance among the followers of Christ. 
Now, as they are advancing on their way, a 
young man comes running to meet Jesus, and 
cries, "I will follow thee whithersoever thou 
goest." You can just imagine how glad 
Jesus was to hear that word. You can almost 
see him putting out his hand to welcome that 
young man. Oh, how glad our Master would 
be if every young man here to-day would say, 



44 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

"I will follow thee withersoever thou goest — 
whatever it may cost, whatever sacrifice, what- 
ever hardship, through any persecution, I will 
follow thee." 

But Jesus turned and rebuked him. Are you 
not surprised at that? He rebuked him. He 
said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the 
heaven have nests ; but the Son of man hath not 
where to lay his head." You do not hear any- 
thing more about that young man who wanted 
to follow Christ. Why not? What was the 
trouble? What did the Master mean? He 
meant this: He did not want to have any 
man follow him who had not counted the cost; 
and here is a young man who is simply moved 
by a passing emotion to go along what seemed 
to him to be an easy path. He said, "It will be a 
great thing to follow in this company; it is a 
popular thing to be a disciple." He had never 
thought that it might mean sacrifice, that it 
might mean pain, that it might mean loss ; and 
just as soon as he knew it was going to cost 
him something, then I find him turning back 
and following no more with Christ. Oh, Christ 
wants you to follow him! And he would love 
to hear, this afternoon, that you will follow 
him, wherever he may lead; but he wants you 
to understand that it will cost you something. 
He does not want us to follow him just because 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 45 

it seems an easy thing to do, and because other 
people are doing it, and because our friends 
want us to do it. It is worth all the world to 
follow Christ. There is no sacrifice too great 
to make for him. It is the only life worth liv- 
ing. Yet do not think it is all ease, and praise, 
and popularity, and worldly success. It means 
toil, self-denial, pain, conflict, and blood; but 
if you are willing to pay the price, I tell you, 
it will mean an exceeding great reward — one 
hundredfold in this life, and in the world to 
come life eternal. There is no place among the 
followers of Christ for rashness and inconsider- 
ate haste. 

The Saviour turns to another young man 
with the familiar invitation: "Follow me." 
The young man turned to him and said, "Suffer 
me first to go and bury my father." That is a 
very good excuse, you might say, for a young 
man to make — a very natural request, that he 
might bury his father. As our Saviour extends 
his invitation to every one here this afternoon, 
some may, perhaps, make an excuse which 
seems to be reasonable at first. But our Sav- 
iour turned and rebuked him, who seemed to 
be so kind-hearted, loving, and considerate. He 
rebuked him and said, "Leave the dead to bury 
their own dead ; but go thou and publish abroad 
the kingdom of God." 



46 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

Now, why did he rebuke him? He rebuked 
him because he looked that young man through 
and through, and he knew that the excuse he 
was making was a poor, miserable, worthless 
pretense. I do not believe the young man had 
a father lying at home dead. If he had, what 
was he doing out there in the crowd? It was 
customary in the east to bury a man the same 
day he died. What did Jesus mean? I will tell 
you. 

A short time ago I was taking supper with 
one who has labored for twenty years in the 
land where our Saviour lived. He turned to 
me and said, "Do you know what it means in 
the Bible when it says, 'Suffer me first to go and 
bury my father' ?" "No, what does it mean?" 
"I will tell you what it means. It means that the 
man who said this had no good excuse, and 
was trying to find one ; for that is a proverbial 
expression in that land, even to this day. I 
was going to Europe about two years ago, and 
I tried to urge a rich young man, a native, to 
go to Europe with me. The young man turned 
to me (he was in perfect health, with his 
father near him, in perfect health) and said, 
'Let me first bury my father.' The young man 
meant: 'I do not care to go now. I have no 
very good excuse, but something might happen 
to my father. Wait until I am perfectly free 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 47 

from all obligations, and when I have a better 
opportunity I will go.' So Jesus gave to that 
man a definite invitation to follow him, but he 
replied, 'Suffer me first to go and bury my fath- 
er/ " 

But, my friends, do you not know of some 
men who have excuses for not being Chris- 
tians, just as poor and as worthless as that? 
Perhaps there is some one here to-day. Every 
man here is receiving, at this hour, by this gos- 
pel service, an invitation just as real, just as 
definite, just as direct, as though Jesus Christ 
were standing here and saying, "Come and fol- 
low me; follow me." 

And what is your reply? Is it not some 
excuse which is really worthless? If never 
before, I beg you this hour to take that excuse 
which is keeping you back from fellowship with 
Christ, and hold it up in the sunlight of his 
love, look it through and through, and see if 
our Saviour is not right in saying to you, 
"Leave the dead to bury their own dead." He 
is saying in effect, "Anything that is keeping 
you back from me is keeping you back in the 
place of real death ; and if you are willing to be 
kept back in that old life, by these wretched ex- 
cuses, some day, some day, you will die there 
among the dead, and you will be buried by the 
dead." 



48 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

What is your excuse to-day? 

The last scene of all. Another man comes 
to the Saviour with the word: "I will follow 
thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell 
to them that are at my house." That young 
man was perfectly sincere. He had counted the 
cost. He knew it would mean sacrifice. He was 
not making an excuse. He did not say, "Let me 
go back and bid farewell," meaning that he ex- 
pected to stay there. He expected to go home, 
and, after the briefest possible delay, to follow 
Christ. Why, then, did Christ rebuke him? 

Listen to what Jesus replied, "No man, hav- 
ing put his hand to the plow, and looking back, 
is fit for the kingdom of God." What did he 
mean? Why did he say that? Ah, he said it 
because, in his great heart of love, he knew that 
delay would mean eternal loss! He knew it. 
You see, Jesus was on his way through this 
part of the country for the last time. He would 
never pass this way again ; for the young man 
this opportunity was the last. There is a sol- 
emn message in these words of Christ. You 
may have almost decided to follow him; but 
you may be saying, "I will wait a short time; 
next Sunday, next year." Yet Christ may never 
again come so near to you as he is at this hour. 
He is saying, "If you really desire to delay, it 
shows that you are unfit for the kingdom of 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 49 

God." Any man who has heard Christ's plea, 
any man who knows the Son of God is urging 
him to follow him, and yet is hesitating and un- 
willing to decide, is proving himself unfit to en- 
ter heaven. Let us not so condemn ourselves. 

"Almost cannot avail, 
Almost is but to fail, 
Sad, sad, that bitter wail, 
Almost, but lost!" 

Let us resolve now to follow Christ — to fol- 
low him in humility, in sympathy, in patience; 
to follow him through the shadows, the sem- 
blances, the mysteries — on into a larger and a 
truer life; on into the yonder land, the morn- 
ing land ; on to the palace of the King. 



IV 
BALAAM 



The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, 
and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day 
of judgment. 

Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed 
the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong- 
doing ; but he was rebuked for his own transgression : a dumb 
ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the 
prophet. 2 Peter 2 : 9, 15, 16. 

No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the 
one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to one, and despise 
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6 : 24. 

Read also Numbers 22, 23. 



IV 

BALAAM 

A strange man he was — Balaam, the son of 
Beor of Pethor; a worshiper of God, yet the 
most famous wizard and enchanter and magi- 
cian of his day ; a professed servant of Jehovah, 
yet a veritable slave of greed; a seer of pro- 
phetic visions, yet more blind than the ass upon 
which he rode ; foretelling the glory of the peo- 
ple of God, yet planning to accomplish their 
ruin. We see him standing upon the mountain 
top, his face bright with prophetic inspira- 
tion, crying out in the enthusiasm of religious 
emotion, "Let me die the death of the righteous, 
and let my last end be like his!" then we follow 
him down to the plains of Moab, and we hear 
him giving the vilest counsel to king Balak, 
suggesting how Israel can be seduced and de- 
stroyed. He seems to be "to good and evil equal 
bent, and both a devil and a saint." 

Yet it is not difficult to explain the apparent 
contradictions of this character. Balaam is try- 
53 



54 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

ing to serve two masters, and such an effort al- 
ways results in contradiction and disgrace. He 
is offered gold as the price of sin. He avoids 
the sin and loses the gold ; then, regretting the 
loss, he yields to sin and loses his soul. 

Nor is his experience an uncommon one. This 
is the very power and pathos of the story. So 
many young men start out in life with lofty 
aspirations, who soon come to disaster and dis- 
grace; they believe in God, but they have not 
come to the point of complete surrender. They 
fear God, but they love gain, or praise, or self- 
indulgence. They fear to do wrong, and yet 
they do not love to do right. There is no true 
safety save in absolute dedication of self to the 
faithful service of Jesus Christ. "No man can 
serve two masters : for either he will hate the 
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to 
one and despise the other." 

The temptation came to Balaam, just as it 
always comes to you, at the weakest point. He 
is asked to curse God's people, and is promised 
a reward in gold. The story runs something 
like this: The armies of Israel have been 
sweeping everything before them, and have en- 
tered the plains of Moab. Balak, the king, fear- 
ing to meet the hosts in open conflict, sends to 
the far East to summon Balaam, the famous 
magician, that he may come and curse the peo- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 55 

pie of God. The messengers approach Balaam 
with the request of the king. He replies that 
he does not know whether he can go or not. He 
tells them that he must first go and inquire of 
God. That is just the right thing to do. When 
one is uncertain whether a thing is right or 
wrong, let him immediately ask God. Do not 
take a step while uncertain. "When in doubt, 
don't," is a safe rule. Ask God for light, and he 
is sure to make you understand whether a pro- 
posed course is right or wrong. So Balaam 
went and prayed; and when he came down in 
the morning to meet his guests, he was very 
sure that it would be wrong for him to go with 
them. He wished, however, to go. His words 
were these, "Jehovah refuseth to give me leave 
to go with you;" that is to say, "I would love 
to go, but I do not dare." Does that answer 
awaken a response in any of our memories? 
Do we know of anyone who has refrained from 
wrong while desiring to do the wrong? Have 
we ever said, "I should love this sin, but dare 
not yield?" If this is our attitude toward any 
temptation, we can be sure that the same temp- 
tation will return with redoubled force. It is 
not a moral victory to refuse because we are 
afraid. So it was with Balaam. 

The messengers bring their report to king 
Balak. They tell him that Balaam would like 



56 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

tc come, but he does not dare. No wonder that 
Balak sends the messengers back with larger 
promises in the mouths of more illustrious 
princes. Balaam meets them with the boast, "I 
will not disobey God, even for a house full of 
gold." How self-confident we often are just 
before we yield to temptation. Balaam tells 
them that he must again consult God; that 
was his fatal error, he already knew the will 
of God. He was virtually asking God to allow 
him to sin; yet some of us are guilty of equal 
folly. When certain that a course is wrong, 
let us not again ask God for light; that is, to 
tamper with conscience, to violate conscience. 
No wonder that God tells Balaam to go, while 
at the same time feeling displeasure with him 
for going. That is the operation of a change- 
less law. To violate conscience is to blind the 
conscience, and to suffer the penalty of going 
on a wrong course with the thought that it may 
be right. To long for sin is to yield, and to 
feel justified in yielding. Augustine used to ask 
God to give him victory over his vices — but not 
yet. He hoped that God would not answer his 
prayers then. You may be sure that God did 
not, but allowed Augustine to sink yet more 
deeply into sin. "There is a way which seem- 
eth right unto a man; but the end thereof are 
the ways of death." 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 57 

God was very good to Balaam. He warned 
him of the error of his way. No sooner has the 
prophet started on his journey than an angel 
of God stands in the path to dispute his prog- 
ress; but Balaam is too blind to see his peril. 
The beast on which he is riding seeks to avoid 
the danger, and turns from the road, but is 
driven back by the angered prophet. A second 
time the ass seeks to turn aside, and this time 
crushes the foot of the prophet against the wall. 
When for the third time the angel stands in 
the way, and when there is no room to escape, 
the beast falls down under the prophet, and he 
begins to beat the animal with his staff, and 
then the ass cries out to rebuke the prophet for 
his cruel anger. One might have thought that 
the prophet would suspect that he was in the 
wrong way, when he showed such temper 
against a poor dumb beast. When a man re- 
turns to his home, and makes everyone 
in the household miserable, finding fault 
with the servants, offending his wife, re- 
buking the children, he should be sus- 
picious that the trouble may not be in the house- 
hold, but in his own heart. Balaam, however, 
does not seem to feel that he is himself at fault, 
until his eyes are opened and he sees the angel 
standing in the pathway, and learns that he has 
been in peril of death ; but even yet he does not 



58 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

repent. He offers to return, but he does not 
wish to return. "If I must go back," he is say- 
ing, "I will return," but he wants the gold; 
his eyes are fixed upon it, and he insists 
upon going forward to his doom. Why is it 
that some men cannot see God's hand of warn- 
ing as they go on their dangerous way? When 
a man finds that his course is resulting in the 
loss of friends and happiness and health and 
home, why will he not stop where he is, and 
seek to retrace his steps? There are provi- 
dences in the life of every man who is seeking 
to serve self, which are intended as warnings 
from God. "Turn ye, turn ye . . . why will ye 
die?" 

And now, as the story reaches its sad climax, 
we find Balaam coming to the end of his jour- 
ney, and meeting Balak, the king. He is taken 
to a high summit, where, from the mountain 
top, he can see all the tents of Israel. He opens 
his mouth to curse the people of God, but, to his 
dismay, instead of cursing, he blesses. King 
Balak is astonished, and takes him to the sum- 
mit of Mount Pisgah, thinking that from this 
height Balaam can curse Israel. But again he 
fails, and pronounces a blessing instead. For 
a third time he is taken to a mountain top; 
this time to the summit of Peor; but as he 
again looks upon the armies of Israel, he again 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 59 

prophesies blessing for the people of God. Ba- 
lak is enraged. He tells Balaam that he had 
hoped to give him a great reward, to elevate 
him to a position of great honor, but he bids 
him now begone, and to return to his own home. 
Before he leaves, Balaam utters one more 
prophecy, this time declaring that Israel will 
yet subdue the people of Moab. And now Ba- 
laam turns toward his home. He has been de- 
feated, discredited, despised, disgraced. God 
has made him do just what his ass did — open 
his mouth and speak contrary to his own na- 
ture. Oh, what bitterness of disappointment 
and chagrin! 

But let no one think that satisfaction can ever 
be attained by one who is seeking to serve two 
masters; by one who longs to sin, but who is 
afraid of God. Such a course always ends in 
unrest, disappointment, and disgrace. Yet there 
is one worse alternative, and that Balaam 
chooses. It is to turn from God to serve sin. 
Balaam sees the money slipping away. In the 
madness of despair, he turns back to Balak. 
He tells him how Israel can be seduced, and, 
through his vile counsel, twenty-four thousand 
of the people of God are destroyed; and now 
Balaam is given his reward ; now he is elevated 
to honor; and now he is contented. Is he? Does 
sin ever bring satisfaction? Does Satan ever 



60 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

keep his promise? Listen. We hear the noise 
of conflict; we behold the armies of Israel rush- 
ing on to avenge the death of those who have 
been destroyed. Balaam must take his place 
among the armies of Moab. He is high in 
power and in authority ; but the battle is against 
him, and among the princes he falls, mortally 
wounded. 

"In the lost battle, borne down by the flying, 
Where mingles war's rattle with groans of the dying, 
There he is lying." 

Let us leave him there, while stones of re- 
proach are being piled over his body by count- 
less generations of men, and over him let us 
write this epitaph, "No man can serve two mas- 
ters." He wished a different one. He wished 
to have written, "He died the death of the right- 
eous. ,, Why this great difference? It is be- 
cause no man can die the death of the righteous 
unless he lives the life of the righteous ; and no 
man can live the life of the righteous save he 
who yields himself wholly to the service of Je- 
sus Christ. Let us make to-day a complete sur- 
render, and as we have been singing "I surren- 
der all," let us make that surrender with the 
whole heart ; and we shall go out of this build- 
ing, not only pardoned for past sins, but able 
to overcome the temptations which will assail 
us. We can prove "more than conquerors," if 
we are willing to serve Christ, and to serve him 
alone. 



V 
THE RECHABITES 



The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah in the 
days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 
Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and 
bring them into the house of Jehovah, into one of the chambers, 
and give them wine to drink. Then I took Jaazaniah, the son 
of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all 
his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites ; and I brought 
them into the house of Jehovah, into the chamber of the sons of 
Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the 
chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maa- 
seiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold. And 
I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full 
of wine, and cups ; and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But 
they said, We will drink no wine ; for Jonadab. the son of Rechab, 
our father, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, 
neither ye, nor your sons, forever : neither shall ye build house, 
nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any ; but all your 
days ye shall dwell in tents ; that ye may live many days in the 
land wherein ye sojourn. And we have obeyed the voice of 
Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged 
us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, 
or our daughters ; nor to build houses for us to dwell in ; 
neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed : but we have 
dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that 
Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when 
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that 
we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army 
of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians ; so 
we dwell at Jerusalem. 

Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus 
saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel : Go, and say to the 
men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not 
receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith Jehovah. 
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded 
his sons, not to drink wine, are performed ; and unto this day 
they drink none, for they obey their father's commandment. 
But I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking ; and 
ye have not hearkened unto me. Therefore thus saith Jehovah, 
the God of hosts, the God of Israel : Behold, I will bring upon 
Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil 
that I have pronounced against them ; because I have spoken 
unto them, but they have not heard ; and I have called unto them, 
but they have not answered. Therefore thus saith Jehovah of 
hosts, the God of Israel : Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not 
want a man to stand before me forever. Jeremiah 35 : 1-14, 17, 
19. 



THE RECHABITES 

This day has been observed throughout the 
world as a "Temperance Sunday;" and it may 
be of interest and profit for us to review a "total 
abstinence" story more than two thousand years 
old. The narrative concerns those strange men 
who refused to drink wine, even when it was of- 
fered them by an inspired prophet in the house 
of God. This refusal was due to their desire 
to obey a rule which had been established for 
their tribe by a chieftain named Jonadab ; and 
their obedience to this ancient law was used 
by the prophet Jeremiah as an object lesson 
for the nation of Israel. It may bring an ap- 
propriate message to us. 

The tribe to which Jonadab belonged was 
not numbered among the tribes of Israel. His 
people were known as Rechabites. They led a 
wild, roving, free life, within the borderland of 
Israel; and when for a brief moment Jonadab 
is seen upon the stage of history he appears 
63 



64 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

in company with the fierce king Jehu, who has 
been sent as a scourge to the people of God. 
Jonadab meets Jehu, as the king is on his way 
to complete the slaughter of the house of Ahab, 
and to massacre the followers of Baal. It is 
a bloody scene he is invited by the king to wit- 
ness. All the worshipers of the idol god are 
gathered, by royal invitation, to a great service 
in the house of Baal. The building is thronged, 
the doors are closed, and then the word is given 
by the king for the detail of soldiers to put to 
death by the sword with hideous slaughter the 
entire host of idolaters. It is a cruel scene, 
yet its horror is not to be compared with the 
tragedy which is being enacted to-day by order 
of the Demon of Intemperance in the house 
of the God of Strong Drink. There fell a few 
hundred men, foul, faithless, godless, meriting 
their fate; but here before us we see men of 
attractive character, with bright prospects in 
life, with pure principles and lofty aims; men 
from Christian homes, with godly parents and 
loving friends; men such as these, being 
brought down by this demon to lives of infamy 
and graves of shame. How many such men 
there are! How many men who have been 
employed by this Pennsylvania Railroad have 
lost, first, their position, then their manhood, 
then their friends, and, last of all, life itself, 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 65 

under the power of strong drink ! How great an 
army of men in this country (one hundred 
thousand a year) are marching to drunkards' 
graves! It is a pitiful scene, and more heart- 
rending than anything in the story of Jonadab 
and Jehu. 

When the Rechabite chieftain turns from the 
temple and its scene of blood, he rejoins his peo- 
ple and prepares for his tribesmen a strange 
rule of life. He commands that henceforth no 
man of them shall own or inhabit a house. No 
one shall drink wine or plant a vineyard; 
no one shall cultivate or own a field. His mo- 
tive is evident. He wishes his people to be 
kept from the cities with their perils and abom- 
inations. He desires his tribesmen to maintain 
their simple manners and their roving life. He 
wishes them to escape the enervating and cor- 
rupting influences which he considers insep- 
arable from a settled life. So when he prohibits 
the use of wine, it is not because he regards 
its use as sinful, but because wine is to him the 
very symbol, and suggestion, and product of a 
settled life. A vine requires time for growth 
and care in its cultivation. The preparation of 
wine requires buildings, and the wine must be 
stored before it is ready for use. It is evident, 
therefore, that this peculiar law was enacted 
with a view to the safety of the people he loved. 
s 



66 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

So when to-day we plead with every young 
man to adopt the rule of total abstinence from 
intoxicating drink, we need not do so on the 
ground that the use of liquor is necessarily crim- 
inal — that may be an open question — but we 
surely can be upon the grounds of self-preserva- 
tion, of precaution, and of wisdom. 

In view of the evil which strong drink pro- 
duces, we remain total abstainers because we 
desire to escape a deadly peril. It is obvious 
that the man who refrains from taking the first 
glass will never be a slave to drink, and also 
that the man who is not a moderate drinker will 
never sink into a drunkard's grave. I was read- 
ing recently a little story which spoke of the 
peril of a single drink. A physician happened 
to stop with a friend in front of a saloon, when 
a builder whom he knew, a man of high char- 
acter, of ability, and bright prospects in life, 
came out of the saloon and said laughingly, "I 
have done what I never did before in my life." 
"What was that?" "Well, a man, who had long 
been owing me money for work which I had 
done, and who refused all payment, offered to 
settle with me if I would stop in here and take 
a drink with him. I declined, and told him it 
was against my principles; but, finding that I 
could not change his mind, I went in and got 
the drink," and he laughed as he told the story. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 67 

As soon as he had finished, the friend of the 
doctor turned to the man and said solemnly, 
"Sir, that was the dearest drink that ever 
passed your lips, and the worst bill you ever col- 
lected;" and his words proved to be true, for 
within twelve months that builder was a con- 
firmed drinker, and in three years he died the 
death of a drunken outcast. 

If we are total abstainers on the ground of 
prudence, much more should we be total ab- 
stainers when we think of the possible disaster 
which our example as moderate drinkers may 
bring to others. I have been told that Eudyard 
Kipling was led to give up the use of intoxicants 
on this ground alone. The story runs that he 
was one day sitting at a table in a beer garden, 
when he saw two young girls at a table near by, 
who were being brought under the influence of 
liquor. He watched them until they rose from 
the table and went reeling out of the place, 
down to ruin and death. Kipling is said to 
have remarked, "My use of liquor has been aid- 
ing in the destruction of these lives, and, with 
the help of God, I will drink no more." I do 
not know how true that story is, but I believe 
that we may well come to that same conclusion 
to-day, out of sympathy and love for the men 
and women who are being influenced by our 
lives. 



68 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

This rule of total abstinence seems very pe- 
culiar to some men. It is much less peculiar 
than the rule which had been established by 
Jonadab for the Rechabites. They obeyed their 
chieftain year after year, and then for genera- 
tions after his death. But at the time of which 
our story treats they were subjected to a very 
peculiar temptation, and as we follow the story 
we shall learn a lesson in obedience. It was 
the year when Nebuchadnezzar's armies were 
sweeping onward toward Jerusalem. It became 
unsafe to dwell in the open country, and we find 
the Rechabites seeking their safety within the 
walls of Jerusalem. They drive their cattle 
through the streets; they pitch their tents 
in the open squares of the city; their strange 
appearance and customs are discussed by all the 
people. Then it is that God puts it into the 
heart of the prophet Jeremiah to use these 
Rechabites to instruct his own people. By in- 
vitation of the prophet, the Rechabite chieftains 
are asked to the temple, and, being received 
within its courts, they are offered great bowls 
of wine; but they refuse to drink, even though 
urged by the prophet of God. They stand true 
to their principles, and declare that they cannot 
disobey the rule of their ancient chief. Then 
Jeremiah turns to the people of Jerusalem, and, 
using the obedience of the Rechabites as a text, 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 69 

he urges upon the people a true obedience to 
God. It furnishes, as we have said, an admira- 
ble object lesson in the matter of obedience. 

Obedience to parents is suggested to us most 
obviously by this beautiful picture, and such 
obedience is a lesson many of us need to learn. 
It may possibly be obedience in the very matter 
of the use of wine. The Rechabites might easily 
have said what you have heard some young men 
say, "Our father did not know what is best 
for us ; times have changed ; we know what he 
said, but his advice is out of date." It does not 
take some young men very long to grow wiser 
than their elders, but there may be for such a 
time of deep regret. I was recently reminded 
of that story from the life of the great man of 
letters, Dr. Johnson. He was found standing 
in the marketplace of Litchfield, with bared 
head, in the blinding rain. "Why are you stand- 
ing here," a friend is asking. "Oh," he replies, 
I am standing here for a little while to do pen- 
ance, when I remember how, here in this old 
town, I used to disobey my father." More than 
one man has lived to shed bitter tears in the 
memory of his willful and disobedient days. 
Some time since one was standing beside the 
coffin of a mother, whose heart had been broken 
by his wasted life, and, between his convulsive 
sobs, he was heard to murmur, "Oh, if I had 



70 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

only done as she told me!" "Honor thy father 
and thy mother, that thy days may be long in 
the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee." 

Obedience to principle is even more strongly 
depicted in this striking lesson. It was no usual 
temptation by which these Rechabites were be- 
set. There in the temple courts, invited by the 
messenger of God, how easily could they have 
appeased their consciences by saying that un- 
der such circumstances it might have been right 
to disobey the ancestral rule! How natural for 
them to have said, "Of course, we will not habit- 
ually use wine, and when we are back in the 
wilderness we will not think of strong drink; 
but here in the city, and on this one great occa- 
sion, in the temple of God, we can break our 
usual rule!" And is it not frequently the case 
with a young man whose rule is to abstain from 
strong drink that he finds himself in circum- 
stances which seem to warrant his breaking his 
usual custom? He is dining with wealthy 
friends, he is offered a glass of champagne 
by some lady ; or he is away from the usual cir- 
cle of his relatives and acquaintances, and there 
comes the suggestion, "Of course, I shall not 
become an habitual drinker, and these circum- 
stances are so very peculiar that it will be per- 
fectly safe for me to take a single glass." But 
this is the time for one to show his true man- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 71 

liness, by his absolute obedience to principle. I 
am not here discussing the necessity of such a 
principle, but I am pleading for faithfulness to 
any rule of life upon which one has determined. 
That is such a refreshing story which comes to 
us from the life of General Fiske. He was in 
command of a certain district in the Southwest 
when it became his duty to receive and welcome 
to the city a superior officer who was coming to 
take command. He escorted the Major General 
to the hotel in which rooms had been engaged. 
As soon as they were in the parlor the superior 
officer ordered a servant to bring in four whis- 
key punches. "Only three, if you please, Gen- 
eral," said General Fiske courteously. "You 
will not refuse to drink with me, will you?" 
said the superior officer. "If I should drink 
now it would be for the first time; you would 
not advise me to begin, would you, General?" 
"No ! God bless you ; long may you wave," was 
the gracious and gallant response. It is cour- 
age like this which reveals character worthy 
of our praise. 

Obedience to God is, however, the supreme les- 
son of the ancient story. It was to teach a na- 
tion this truth, that Jeremiah tempted these 
sons of Rechab. He knew they would be faith- 
ful, and he knew that by their faithfulness he 
would be able to bring a message to all the peo- 



72 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

pie of God. Let that message enter our hearts 
to-day. It will be one of peculiar encourage- 
ment if read in the light of that story of old. 
Jeremiah pleaded with the nation to obey their 
God, as the Rechabites obeyed their father ; and 
if we recognize the duty of obeying our parents, 
and the wisdom of acting in accordance with 
our principles, much more should we seek to do 
the will of our Father who is in heaven. It 
may be in the matter of intoxicating drink, it 
may be in our friendships, our amusements, or 
our plans of life ; but in things great and small, 
let us seek to do his will, and in the chief est of 
all matters, let us remember that it is his com- 
mandment that we should "believe on the Name 
of his Son Jesus Christ," and should "love one 
another." It is not merely a privilege, it is a 
duty for one to yield his life to the service of 
Christ. And if we so yield we shall surely be 
safe. He is a Friend who alone can deliver. 
It may be that some one here is needing to-day 
special deliverance from the power of drink. 
I was reading of a hunter in India who had fal- 
len asleep on the porch of his bungalow. A 
tiger had seized him while unconscious, and 
when he awoke he found that he was being drag- 
ged away by the arm, into the jungle. But a 
friend heard his cries, and springing out killed 
the tiger, and set the poor sufferer free. There 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 73 

is probably some man here to-day whose right 
hand is in the tiger's mouth, who feels that he 
is being dragged down to death; but there is 
One here more mighty and more loving than 
the truest earthly friend. He will save you now 
if you put your trust in him. God wills, God 
commands it; yield yourself to serve and to 
obey Christ Jesus the Lord. 

The last word of the ancient story is this : — 
That because of their obedience to their father, 
the tribe of the Rechabites should not become 
extinct. Jeremiah declared, "Therefore thus 
saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: 
Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man 
to stand before me forever." And truly the 
word is repeated for us: "He that doeth the 
will of God abideth forever." 

One Sunday afternoon, when I had been 
speaking here on the subject of fidelity to prin- 
ciple, a gentleman, whom I recognized, stopped 
to tell me a story, which he began by saying he 
knew to be true. I knew it would be true, for 
I knew the man and the place he occupied in 
the community and the church. He told me of 
a young man who had escorted his fiancee to a 
fashionable reception given by a relative of the 
young lady. As they stood near a wine table 
the young man was offered a glass. "Excuse 
me," he said, "but I never use wine." "But you 



74 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

must drink to my aunt's health," said the young 
lady. "You must excuse me," was the reply, 
"but I cannot accept." "Yes, but I would re- 
gard it as an insult to my aunt if you refuse." 
"I am sorry, but refuse I must." Later on 
the unhappy conversation was resumed, and 
the young lady remarked, "I see there are 
some points on which we decidedly differ" ; and 
in the end this engagement was broken. Only 
a few years after, that poor girl had fallen a 
victim to drink, and was murdered in her bed 
by a drunken husband with her infant babe by 
her side. The young man had lived to become 
an officer in a Christian church. "And I," con- 
cluded my friend, "am that man." This is 
simply one story from the book of life which 
illustrates the verse we have quoted, "The world 
passeth away, and the lust thereof : but he that 
doeth the will of God abideth forever." 



VI 
SAMSON IN DISGRACE 



And the Philistines laid hold on him, and nut out his eyes; 
and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters 
of brass ; and he did grind in the prison-house. Howbeit the 
hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 

And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to 
offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice ; for 
they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our 
hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god ; 
for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, 
and the destroyer of our country, who hath slain many of us. 
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they 
said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they 
called for Samson out of the prison-house ; and he made sport 
before them. And they set him between the pillars : and Sam- 
son said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that 
I may feel of the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may 
lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women ; 
and all the lords of the Philistines were there ; and there were 
upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld 
while Samson made sport. 

And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, 
remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only 
this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philis- 
tines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle 
pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the 
one with his right hand, and the other with his left. And 
Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed 
himself with all his might ; and the house fell upon the lords, 
and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that 
he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his 
life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came 
down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him be- 
tween Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his 
father. And he judged Israel twenty years. Judges 16 : 21-31. 



VI 

SAMSON IN DISGRACE 

We should remember that the story of Sam- 
son's disgrace fills but one brief chapter of his 
life. There were other chapters. There had been 
twenty long years of victory, of honor, of serv- 
ice for the people of God; but men do not 
remember these. "The evil that men do lives 
after them." So will it be with us ; no matter 
how beautiful our lives, if, in forgetfulness of 
God, we fall into sin, it will be the sin which will 
be remembered by the world. This is a warn- 
ing which the story suggests. 

For twenty years Samson had been a great 
hero, and had performed deeds of valor, because 
he was strengthened by the Spirit of the Lord. 
His strength was not due to his long hair, as 
some have supposed. His hair was simply an 
outward symbol of his devotion to God. He was 
a "Nazarite." According to the vow he had 
taken he drank no wine ; and used no razor ; and 
he did not come into contact with the dead ; but 
these peculiar observances were merely the ex- 
77 



78 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

ternal symbols and suggestion of his complete 
dedication to the service of the Lord. Because 
he was so dedicated, he was enabled to perform 
miracles of strength. 

Nor did his power reside in his muscles. Sam- 
son was not a giant. If his great strength had 
been due to the size of muscle or bone, the Phil- 
istines would not have offered Delilah eleven 
hundred pieces of silver in order that she might 
discover the secret of his strength; they could 
have understood his power without an interpre- 
ter. There was a secret. To this, we have al- 
ready referred. It is a secret which we may all 
possess. Complete dedication to God results in 
our receiving supernatural power, whereby we 
can overcome sin and be of service to our fellow- 
men. This is the word of encouragement which 
the lesson brings. 

The story opens with the departure of Sam- 
son from Dan. We read that he "went to 
Gaza." That was the beginning of his trouble. 
He was leaving the scene of his victories, his 
service and his glory, and going down to the 
city of his disaster, his disgrace, and his death. 
He was leaving the land of his fathers, and turn- 
ing toward the land of the enemies of his God. 
But he was not going alone; as we look upon 
him to-day, we see that he has a great company 
of followers. The men who are going down to- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 79 

ward Gaza from Dan are not few in number. 
Those of us here to-day, who find less interest 
in church services than we felt a few years ago ; 
those of us who have less and less time for our 
Bibles ; those who are neglecting the seasons of 
daily prayer; those who have not time for 
Christian work; those who feel less of love for 
the Lord; are all faced toward Gaza. The 
whole church of Ephesus seemed to be turned in 
that way. They were good men, there was noth- 
ing wrong in their lives, but the Saviour was 
saying of them, "I have this against thee, that 
thou hast left thy first love." I think the poet 
of our childhood knew what it was to go toward 
Gaza, for he sang: — 

"I remember, I remember the fir-trees dark and high; 
I used to think their slender tops were close against the 

sky; 
It was a childish ignorance, but now 'tis little joy- 
To know I'm farther off from heaven than when I 

was a boy." 

There are a good many of us who feel that 
we are "farther off from heaven" than we were 
in those days when we learned to pray at our 
mother's knee, when we heard the story of our 
Saviour's power, and when we were resolving 
that we should grow up to follow in our Sav- 
iour's steps. Of course we are not expecting 
to become servants of sin. Samson never 



80 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

dreamed that he would become a captive in the 
power of the Philistines. Our lives may be free 
from reproach, yet if we are growing more for- 
getful of our Saviour, we are following in that 
great company which was going down from 
Dan. 

There were some things Samson was leaving 
behind. He was surely leaving the service of 
God. He did not even try to persuade himself 
that he could do anything for the Lord down 
there in Gaza; he was simply intent on having 
a good time. It had grown a little tiresome for 
him up there in Dan. There had been a good 
deal of hardship, and no little fighting, and self- 
denial. He thought he would enjoy the change; 
and we see him starting out on the journey which 
had so fatal an end. It is always a pathetic 
sight to see a man who is giving up his Chris- 
tian work. He is not intending to become a 
servant of sin, but it is always a sign that a 
man is faced the wrong way, when he is allow- 
ing his companionships, his amusements, or 
even his business projects, to absorb the time 
and the attention which he once gave to the 
work in the Sabbath school, in the church, or in 
the Christian Association. We follow such a 
man with no little solicitude, when we see him 
turning away from some definite service which 
he has formerly been rendering in the name of 
the Lord. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 81 

There was something more that Samson was 
leaving behind in Dan. It was his dependence 
upon God. Instead of this, we see him weighted 
down by a great burden of self-confidence and 
self-conceit. You can notice it in the very way 
in which he is walking. He seems to be say- 
ing: "No one can capture me; I am going into 
the very stronghold of the enemy, but I cannot 
be overcome. I have been a victor for twenty 
years, whom have I to fear ?" There are a good 
many men who face Gaza with such self-confi- 
dence as this. They have been able to resist 
temptations year after year ; and now while they 
are conscious that they are giving up active 
Christian service, they have no thought that 
they may fall under the power of sin. 

It is in the spirit of self-confidence, that we 
see our hero enter the city of Gaza. At once a 
plot is formed to capture him; but he rises at 
midnight and, with the glee of a schoolboy, 
amuses himself with the joke of carrying off 
the city gates, posts and all, and placing them 
on the top of yonder high hill. It is this self- 
confidence which explains his treatment of De- 
lilah. Her name means "a languishing beau- 
ty," and no sooner has be found her in the val- 
ley of Sorek, than she begins her attempts to de- 
liver him into the power of the enemy. She begs 
him to tell her the secret of his strength. "If 

6 



82 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

they bind me with seven green withes that were 
never dried, then shall I become weak, and 
be as another man," replies Samson; but no 
sooner is he bound than at the word, 'The Phil- 
istines are upon thee, Samson," he breaks the 
withes as a thread is broken when touched by 
fire. It was all a huge joke; he knew he could 
not be bound. So again, at the entreaty of De- 
lilah, he declares that if he should be bound with 
new ropes, he would "become weak, and be as 
another man." But again he breaks the ropes 
from off his arms like a thread. 

A third time, Delilah is pleading with him to 
reveal to her the secret of his strength. He re- 
plies, "If thou weavest the seven locks of my 
head with the web." But when she has fast- 
ened his hair to the web, and when again she 
has called, "The Philistines are upon thee, 
Samson," we find him rising and walking away 
with the beam and with the web. Samson is 
greatly enjoying all these experiments, but his 
confidence is in himself, and when we find a man 
depending upon his own strength of character 
in the face of daily temptations, we tremble, for 
we know he is but a step from defeat and dis- 
grace. Particularly is this true in case he begins 
to speak lightly of sacred things. Samson's hair 
was not the source of his strength, but it was 
a symbol of his consecration ; and when a man 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 83 

begins to speak lightly of the Bible, of the 
Church, of Christian work, you know that all 
that is lacking is the appearance in his life of 
some great temptation, and then comes his piti- 
ful fall. So it was in the case of Samson. 

We find Delilah returning to him again. She 
insists that he cannot love her if he so contin- 
ues to make sport of her; and now the great 
hero tells her the secret of his strength. He 
tells her it is due to his devotion to God ; but he 
has long since left that devotion behind him in 
his desire to gratify himself; and we are not 
surprised to find that he is soon asleep, utterly 
forgetful of his duty, his danger, and of his 
God. How many men there are who are so 
sleeping in the hour of temptation; how many 
men about us are living with no thought of God, 
and with no sense of their need of his saving 
power ! To such the temptation comes suddenly, 
and they are taken as Samson was taken. In his 
unconsciousness, the symbol of his dedication 
is cut from his head. He is awakened by the 
cry, "The Philistines are upon thee!" He thinks 
he can escape as he has escaped before, but "he 
knew not that Jehovah was departed from 
him." 

Now the Philistines take him; they gouge out 
his eyes, they bind him with fetters of brass, 
they compel him to grind in the prison house, 



84 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

taking the place of a female slave. What a pa- 
thetic picture it is to see one who has always 
been able to resist temptation, to be of service to 
the people of God, — a man of reputation, of po- 
sition, and power, — now blinded and helpless, 
a slave of sin! Yet the pathos of it all is not 
that the man has fallen so low, but this, — that 
the name of the Lord is blasphemed. The Phil- 
istines declared that the God of Samson had no 
power; they made sport of the great hero, but 
more terrible still, they derided the name of his 
God ; and this is the pity, that when a Christian 
has grown negligent of his duty, and then for- 
getful of his Lord, and then has fallen into sin, 
it is not only his own name that is disgraced, 
but the world is ever saying, "This man was a 
Christian, this man was a member of the 
church, this man was a follower of Christ." 
That is the pity of it all. 

"Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow 
again after he was shaven." There is encour- 
agement in these words. They speak to us of 
repentance, of a new turning toward God, of 
pardon, of new dedication, of renewed power. 
The hair was but the symbol of his devotion to 
God, but when we read that the symbol is re- 
appearing, we know that faith and devotion are 
present in the heart. It is a great thing to see 
a young man begin to attend the church which 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 85 

he has so long neglected. It is wonderfully en- 
couraging to know that one whose life has been 
blackened by sin is beginning to pray, and is 
secretly reading the Bible, which has so long 
been closed. The Bible, and prayer, and church 
services do not save a man. They may be out- 
ward signs, but they suggest to us that a change 
has come, that the heart is turning toward God, 
and we know then that there will be new power 
and new life. And so it was with Samson. We 
hear him asking that his strength may be re- 
stored, and we witness the answer to his pray- 
er. His captors are rejoicing in his misery. 
They are gathered by thousands in the great 
temple of Dagon their god, and on the temple 
roof. The old blind hero asks the boy who is 
leading him by the hand to let him feel the pil- 
lars by which the temple is supported, and now 
he leans upon the pillars, and in hideous ruin he 
drags the temple to the ground. He is avenged ; 
he has dealt a fatal blow to the enemies of his 
God. The name of his God is vindicated. The 
people of his God are delivered. Samson has 
triumphed,— but he is dead. 

It is possible for a man to be forgiven. One 
can rise after he has fallen. He can be of serv- 
ice to his fellow Christians. He can vindicate 
the power of Christ; but he can never occupy 
the place which he might have held ; his life will 



86 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

never be quite the same again. Samson may re- 
gain his strength; Samson can never again be 
"the judge" and continued deliverer of the peo- 
ple of God. It is this last thought, suggested 
by the story of Samson, which is embodied in 
this poem which I wish to read to you in conclu- 
sion : — 

"I walked through the woodland meadows, 

Where sweet the thrushes sing, 
And found in a bed of mosses 

A bird with a broken wing. 
I healed its wound, and each morning 

It sang its old sweet strain; 
But the bird with the broken pinion 

Never soared as high again. 

"I found a young life broken 

By sin's seductive art; 
And touched with a Christlike pity 

I took him to my heart. 
He lived with a noble purpose, 

And struggled not in vain, 
But the life that sin had stricken 
Never soared as high again. 
"But the bird with the broken pinion 

Kept another from the snare, 
And the life that sin had stricken 

Raised another from despair. 
Each ill has its compensation; 

There is healing for every pain; 
But the bird with a broken pinion 

Never soars as high again." 



VII 
THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS 



And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in 

the field, and keeping watch by night over tbeir flock. And 
an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord 
shone round about them : and they were sore afraid. And the 
angel said unto them, Be not afraid ; for behold, I bring you 
good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people : for 
there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, 
who is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you : Ye 
shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in 
a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude 
of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 

Glory to God in the highest, 

And on earth peace among men, in whom he is well pleased. 

And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them 
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go 
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, 
which the Lord has made known unto us. And they came with 
haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying 
in the manger. And when they saw it, they made known con- 
cerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 
And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken 
unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, 
pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, 
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard 
and seen, even as it was spoken unto them, Luke 2 : 8-20. 



VII 

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS 

He would be a strange man indeed who would 
not rejoice in the return of Christmastide. 
Some have criticised its customs as childish or 
pagan; "Santa Claus" has been called a wicked 
fiction, and "mistletoe and yule" have been 
traced to Druid days. But we love them all, — 
the trees, the toys, the gifts, the gladness, the 
greens, the carols, the hymns — for they bring 
to us a message as beautiful and bright as a 
voice from heaven ; in fact they make us to hear 
again the very song which the Christmas angels 
sang. 

1. The first note of that message is Joy. 
That was the very word of the angel : "I bring 
you good tidings of great joy." And surely of 
all the festivals of the year, Christmas is most 
full of gladness, of rejoicing and of good cheer, 
not only for the rich, but also for the humble 
and the poor. The angels rejoiced on that first 
Christmas morning, but the angels said the joy 
89 



90 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

was not for them alone ; it was joy for the shep- 
herds to whom they were speaking, and joy for 
the whole world. Those shepherds were com- 
mon men — "everyday men" we would say — 
busy with their humble tasks ; yet to them, first 
of all, came the gladness of the Saviour's birth. 
So the Christmas time, as it comes to us, brings 
a message of cheer for every man ; and first of 
all for the weary toiler at his work. 

"This is the gospel of labor 

Ring it out, oh ye bells of the kirk, 
That the God of love came down from above 
To live with the men who work." 

I have been reminded by an old legend that 
the joy and gladness of this season have benefit- 
ed even the dumb animals, because of the kind- 
liness that has been brought into the world by 
the spirit of Christmas. The legend tells us 
that, when our Saviour was being taken by his 
parents into Egypt, the cattle came out and 
knelt down before him in the road. Over there 
in Devonshire, England, they have a tradition, 
and the farmers are said to believe it, that at 
midnight after Christmas eve, the cattle in the 
stalls kneel down with their heads turned, as 
far as they can, toward the town of Bethlehem. 
I like that story and that old legend, because it 
tells us that everywhere, at Christmas time, 
where Jesus Christ is known, a spirit of glad- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 91 

ness and of rejoicing is to be found. The old 
Britons used to keep the "Merrie Christmas 
time" with a wildness of revelry. They would 
pile high the wood on top of the Yule log, 
and they would drink the ale out of the skull of 
some poor slaughtered enemy. But whatever 
form the Christmas joy may take, let us remem- 
ber that the source and reason for our rejoic- 
ing must depend upon our acceptance of Christ. 
When we know him well, we can sing the carol 
and we can rejoice in the spirit of the lines : — 

"God rest ye, merrie gentlemen; 
Upon this Christmas morn, 
The God of all true Christians 
Was of a woman born." 

When we take him into our hearts we know 
something of the joy of the Christmas morning. 
II. There is another note which we hear to- 
day : it is the note which the angels sounded out 
last of all; it is perhaps the chief note of the 
Christmas music. We may possibly call it the 
sum and substance of the Christmas story; it 
is, of course, the note of Love. There is joy in 
our hearts because we know of the love of God ; 
and when the angels were singing of the new- 
born Christ, their last words were these, "Glory 
to God in the highest, and dn earth peace 
among men;" that is, -God's love shown to men, 
and the love of men shown to one another. 



92 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

I remember an old story of a knight of the 
Middle Ages, who did not believe in a God, and 
who thought that he would challenge God, if 
there was a God, to combat. He went out into 
the field, full armed, and then looked up and 
cried : "0 God, if there be a God, I challenge thee 
to mortal combat ! Come forth and show wheth- 
er thou hast the power of which thy priests are 
boasting." When the poor man had so defied 
God, we read that a little piece of parchment 
was seen to float down through the air and fall 
at his feet. He picked it up and read on it these 
words, "God is love." God is love. Oh, what 
madness to challenge a God who is looking down 
in love and pity! When the knight read the 
words, he broke his sword and kneeling on the 
fragments cried out, "Then I serve thee, God." 
Whenever a man realizes how much God loves 
him and what he has done for him, that man is 
ready, as never before, to open his heart and 
yield himself to the service of God. 

There is then this definite appeal which Christ 
makes to us at the Christmas time. It is like 
the story of Silas Marner. It is one of George 
Eliot's most stirring pictures. You remember 
that that poor old weaver in his wasted life, an- 
gry with all the world, without love in his heart 
for any one, was hoarding up his treasure, one 
piece of gold after another, and was hiding it 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 93 

beneath the floor of his hut. You remember the 
night in which that gold was stolen, and the 
frenzy of the poor miser. You remember how, 
that same night, there was found on his door- 
step a little babe, beautiful, appealing, helpless ; 
and how the old man took that little child into 
the hut. Then little by little his heart opened 
and he began to love the child and then to care 
for it. Day after day passed and the child 
grew up, and you remember how the old man's 
heart became more tender with every passing 
year and how he was transformed by the love 
he felt for that little child. 

It is the same story, it is the same appeal that 
comes at Christmas time — the infinite love of 
God revealed to us in the gift of the Christ- 
Child ; and when we love his Son, then how life 
is transformed ; how it is transfigured ! At this 
season of the year let us linger a time near Beth- 
lehem; think of its wonderful story revealing 
God's love, and then see what we can do to show 
our love to our fellow-men. 

"Love came down at Christmas, 
Love all lovely, Love divine, 
Love was born at Christmas, 
Stars and angels gave the sign. 

"Love shall be our token, 

Love be yours and love be mine, 
Love to God and all men, 
Love the universal sign." 



94 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

That is the way Christina Rossetti sang about 
Christmas time ; let love be the message which 
this day brings to us. 

III. There is another note which the angels 
sounded, and that is the note of Hope; and if 
at no other time of the year we feel hope, it 
should come to us at the time when word is 
brought to us anew of a Saviour's birth, of 
God's love, of God's grace. The angels came to 
the shepherds, saying, "There is born to you 
this day in the city of David a Saviour, who 
is Christ the Lord." Whatever your life 
may have been, however dark this past year 
may have seemed to you, however little you may 
have attained of your ideals, whatever sins you 
may have committed and whatever sorrow rests 
upon your heart, wake up on the Christmas 
morning with a new hope, and say that even as 
Christ came to be the Saviour, so "there is hope 
for me." "My poor broken life can be saved, 
it can be made beautiful by the power of that 
Saviour." We sing of "the Star of Bethle- 
hem." Now a star ever speaks of hope ; and the 
Christmas angels, their songs were of hope. 
Why not greet the coming morning with bright 
expectation, believing that better days are to 
come as you accept, as your Saviour, "Jesus 
Christ, the Lord"? Oh, he will be so near 
to you, God in the flesh, God with man, God 
with us! 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 95 

There is an old story which comes to us, a 
piece of history, I am told, of the time when the 
Black Death swept over Europe and depopu- 
lated whole towns and cities. It seems that in 
the town of Goldberg absolute silence had been 
reigning for days. Men had been afraid of each 
other; men were hesitating even to give one 
another a cup of cold water, because death was 
lurking everywhere. The doors were closed, 
and the windows barred. But one man, as 
Christmas drew near, remembered the Christ- 
mas songs and carols of other days, and when 
the Christmas eve had deepened to midnight, 
he unbarred the door of his house and stepped 
out into the silent street. As he went forth he 
thought of a carol he loved, and he began to 
sing: — 

*'To-day is born to us a Child, 

God with us; 
His mother is a virgin mild, 

God with us. 
God with us, against us who dare be!" 

As the carol floated out on the night wind it 
fell upon the ear of another man imprisoned in 
his own home for fear of death. But when he 
heard the carol he opened his door, and he came 
out and joined the singer. Together they went 
through the streets singing, 



96 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

"God with us, God with us 
Against us who dare be!" 

When the sound of these two voices was 
heard, one door after another opened, and men, 
women, and children came forth until there 
were twenty-five of them, marching through the 
streets of that old city. And as they marched 
they sang, 

"God with us, God with us, 
Against us who dare be!" 

The story runs that of all the twenty-five, in 
the days of that awful Black Death, not one 
died. They took courage and cheer from the 
fact that they were together, remembering that 
God was with them. I tell you, friends, the mes- 
sage of Christmas is this, that God is with us, 
and if we will turn our backs upon the days 
that are past and bury them, if we will come 
out in God's name and become followers of his 
Son Jesus Christ, there is victory for us, there 
is hope for every life. "God is with us," who 
can be against us? My friends, whatever your 
passion, whatever your sin, whatever your fail- 
ure or your fault, look up with hopefulness at 
Christmas, and say, "God is with us." 

IV. The last note I will reecho is the note of 
Faith, which I have already suggested; for if 
Christmas comes to us with a message of hope 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 97 

and love above all else it comes with this mes- 
sage of trust. Christmas joys remind us of the 
unseen. It is more easy at Christmas time to 
believe in the supernatural. Why, we believe in 
angels at Christmas time. It does not seem to 
be the fashion of the day to believe in angels. 
Men class them with fairies. But you know 
that angels have been sent forth, as we read 
in the Bible, "to be ministering spirits"; and 
wherever you are, on the train, in the street, in 
the home, or in the office, there are angels about 
you, just as there were angels at the first Christ- 
mas, angels to watch over you and keep you and 
care for you. 

It is easier to believe in each other at Christ- 
mas time. When the season of good will is pass- 
ing, we are surprised, again and again, to find 
the heart that lies beneath many a very forbid- 
ding exterior, and to learn how much sympathy 
there really is in the men and women whom we 
have hardly dared to trust, and who we never 
dared think loved us. Above all, it seems easier 
at Christmas to believe in Christ. Of course 
there can be no Christmas where there is no 
Christ. There can be no real joy in the heart, 
there can be no true love, there can be no eter- 
nal hope unless Christ is there. Christmas 
brings us a glad invitation to receive Christ as 
our Saviour and our Lord. Oh, let us not delay! 

7 



98 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

There is a legend that tells us that when the 
Wise Men were on their way, following that 
star, they stopped one evening at the home of 
an old woman, who took them in, cared for them 
and when they turned to go they said to her, 
"Would you not like to come with us and find 
the King?" "Oh, yes," she replied, "but wait un- 
til I attend to a few necessary duties." While 
she was gone the star moved on and the Wise 
Men followed it. When she came out the Wise 
Men had gone, and the story runs that she went 
through all the world, in the years which fol- 
lowed, seeking for the star and seeking for the 
Wise Men, but seeking in vain. 

This Christmas comes with a divine message, 
to every man and every woman here, to follow 
on after Jesus Christ. Oh, do not let this mes- 
sage go unheeded ! Do not hesitate or say, "Next 
Christmas I will begin the new life," but say 
it to-night ; and yield yourself to Christ. Open 
your heart to him, and say, as at Christmas we 
sing: — 

"Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown 

When thou earnest to earth for me, 
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room, 

For thy holy nativity. 
Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus, 

There is room in my heart for thee." 



VIII 

"FOUNDED UPON A ROCK'' 

LOFC. 



VIII 

"FOUNDED UPON A ROCK" 

"Everyone, therefore, that heareth these words of mine, 
and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who 
built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, 
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon 
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the 
rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, 
and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, 
who built his house upon the sand: and the rain de- 
scended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and 
smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the 
fall thereof." Matt. 7:24-27. 

Those are the last words of the greatest ser- 
mon that was ever preached. They may be the 
first Christian message of a New Year for some 
of us ; and for some they may possibly suggest 
the beginning of a new and a truer life. We call 
this sermon, "The Sermon on the Mount." We 
might possibly call it "The Sermon of the 
Kingdom/' or "The Sermon of the King," be- 
cause the great King is describing for us, in 
this sermon, the character of those who shall 
enter into his eternal kingdom ; and as he comes 
101 



102 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

to the close of the sermon he declares that only 
those whom he appoints shall enter in. There- 
fore a man who refuses to obey him and re- 
fuses to hear his word is like a man who is 
building his house upon the sand. And the man 
who is willing to hear him, willing to submit to 
him, willing to obey him, is like a man who is 
building his house upon a rock. 

There may have been no very great difference 
between the two houses. It was not a question 
as to the appearance of the two buildings ; and 
the problem that we face to-day is not the ques- 
tion as to whether a Christian man may have 
a more attractive character than a man who is 
not a Christian ; it is not the question whether 
a Christian life may be more beautiful than a 
life which is not called Christian. The question 
is about the foundation. The question which 
comes to us to-day is this : On what is a man 
building his life? On what is he founding his 
hopes ? 

Nor does the question emerge as to the char- 
acter of the storm that came. It was not a 
question about the storm, but it was a question 
about the strength to resist the storm. It may 
not be a very practical question as to whether a 
Christian has more temptations than a man who 
is not a Christian. It may not be an important 
question as to whether a Christian has more 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 103 

trials than a man who is not a Christian. But 
the question is this : Is the Christian man bet- 
ter able to resist in the time of temptation ? Is 
the Christian man better able to stand in the 
time of trial ? Is the Christian man better pre- 
pared for the day of judgment, than the man 
who is not a follower of Christ? That is the 
question. 

Our Master, of course, is telling us that a 
man, whose foundation in life is only his own 
resolutions, his own strength of character, his 
own determination, is like a man who built his 
house upon the sand. Such a life will never 
stand the test of the storm. But the man who 
is founding his house upon the Rock is the pic- 
ture of a man who says, "My life, my hope is 
built on nothing but Jesus Christ and him 
alone." That is the difference that is pointed 
out to us by these two pictures. 

As we read the closing sentences of this ser- 
mon, the great Preacher suggests to us two or 
three reasons why men are so foolish as to 
build on anything else than upon Jesus Christ 
and his word and his will. First of all he sug- 
gests that 

1. Some men are indifferent. 

He has been urging his followers to enter 
in at the narrow gate. "There is a broad way 
and a wide gate; it is easy enough to enter 



104 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

there; but the broad way and the wide gate, 
they lead to destruction; and the narrow gate 
and the narrow way lead to life. It is easy 
enough to go down to destruction, but it re- 
quires a tremendous effort to enter into life." 
You want to know why some men are not 
Christians, why their whole lives are built upon 
sand ; it is for this reason : there are some men 
who are perfectly indifferent to Christ. They 
say they do not see why we should make so 
much of religion. They say they are simply 
"going on in their own way, and it will be all 
right, by and by." It is the easiest thing in 
this world to be lost. It is the simplest thing 
imaginable for a young man or a young woman 
to drift down to sin and eternal death. You 
need to do nothing but just fold your hands and 
drift, that is all. You need only to go out in 
Philadelphia, and do just as other young men 
and women do ; to make no effort whatsoever, — 
and you will be lost. Every man or woman will 
be lost who is making no effort. It is only the 
man or woman who some day wakes up and 
says : "I see which way this thing is tending. I 
need a Saviour" ; it is only that man or woman 
who will be saved in time or eternity. 

We hear about a boy who goes down to the 
Niagara River and sees a boat there. He 
unloosens it and steps in and pushes it out on 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 105 

the stream. It drifts away from the shore, 
slowly at first, but more and more rapidly, un- 
til the poor boy is swept on to death. The sad 
thing is this, that a multitude of boys and girls 
and young men and women, in Philadelphia, are 
doing just exactly that sort of thing as they 
enter upon life. They are just pushing out, 
and they are sitting down and drifting and 
drifting and drifting down to eternal death. It 
is not strange that when the Master closed his 
sermon he said what folly it was to be indif- 
ferent to his message and to his will. Oh, my 
friends, if you are careless and indifferent to 
things which concern Christ, believe me, you 
are going down to absolute death and nothing 
can save you until you wake up and turn to- 
ward him for life ! 

II. Then our Master gave us another reason 
why there are some men who are building sim- 
ply upon the sand. He said there are some 
who are actually hostile to him and to his work. 

I do not suppose there are any men or women 
here who count themselves enemies of Jesus 
Christ. But there are such men in the 
world to-day; and it is absolutely foolish for 
a man to put his face steadfastly against the 
truth as it is in Christ Jesus, and still expect to 
be a pure, good man here, or to be saved here- 
after. He cannot do it. You remember 



106 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

Franklin's experience. He passed through a 
period in his early life, not only of doubt, but 
of actual hostility to all religion. He went far 
enough to observe what was taking place in his 
own life and in the lives of those friends of his 
who were opposed to religion. He saw one 
after another go down, falling beneath the sim- 
plest temptations and their lives becoming ship- 
wrecked. Benjamin Franklin came to the point, 
not of confessing Christ, but of determining 
that a man who is opposing revealed religion 
is a man who is cutting the foundation out 
from beneath the feet of men who would live 
clean, decent lives. It was on this ground that 
he advised Thomas Paine to refrain from pub- 
lishing his "Age of Reason." 

The strongest character needs the support of 
a true religious faith to sustain it in the times 
of trial. And one who has rejected Christ and 
refused his salvation will be, in the day of test- 
ing, and in the day of judgment, like the man 
who built his house upon the sand. "And the 
rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and smote upon that house ; and it 
fell : and great was the fall thereof." 

III. Then our Master suggested one other 
reason why it is that some men are willing to 
build upon the sand. He tells us that some are 
self -deceived. 






WITH RAILROAD MEN 107 

They think they are followers of Christ be- 
cause they are nominal Christians or have once 
confessed their faith. It is a very searching 
word : "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, 
Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and 
by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name 
do many mighty works ? And then will I profess 
unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, 
ye that work iniquity." Not every one whose 
name is on a church register, not every one who 
is supposed to belong to Jesus Christ, not every 
one that has taken his name upon the lip, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven. No. It is 
not a matter of profession ; not a matter of lip 
service; not a matter of having your name en- 
rolled in the list of those who subscribe to some 
creed. It is a matter of life. It is a matter of 
such submission of the will and heart to Jesus 
Christ that the life will manifest it. That is it. 
And there are a good many men and women 
whose hopes are built upon the memory that 
they once joined the church, or upon the 
thought that they are regarded by their fellow- 
men as Christians, or the fact that they have 
contributed something to some institution or 
some church — this is building upon the sand. 
But the rock is Jesus Christ ; and the man who 
is building upon the Rock is the man who whole- 
heartedly not in a mere profession, but sin- 



108 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

cerely and honestly yields himself to the 
service of Jesus Christ — he is building upon a 
rock. 

But possibly some one may say: "Is it not 
true that a good many men stand the temptations 
of life who are not professed followers of 
Christ ?" Yes, they do stand for a time. They 
do stand until they are tempted sorely enough 
and then they fall. We must remember, too, that 
the Master is speaking here not merely of the 
storms and temptations of life, but of the judg- 
ment yonder. He is saying, "Not every one that 
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth 
the will of my Father, who is in heaven." 
And he adds, "Many will say to me in that 
day, Lord, Lord, . . . , and then will I 
profess unto them. I never knew you, depart 
from me ye that work iniquity": for he 
is reminding us that there is a time of judg- 
ment; and that he is to be the Judge; and 
that he is to say whether a man shall enter into 
the eternal kingdom. How foolish to hope for 
his approval then, if we refuse to obey him and 
serve him now! 

Then, too, many a man who is living without 
Christ, is standing pure and true, merely be- 
cause he has not yet been sufficiently tried and 
tested. Let the storm burst upon him and he 
will fall. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 109 

"It is easy enough to be pleasant 

When life flows along like a song, 
But the man worth while is the one who will smile 

When everything goes dead wrong; 
For the test of the heart is trouble, 

And it always comes with the years, 
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth 

Is the smile that comes through tears. 

"It is easy enough to be prudent, 

When nothing tempts you to stray, 
When without and within no voice of sin 

Is luring your soul away, 
But it's only a negative virtue 

Until it is tried by fire, 
And the life that is worth the honor of earth 

Is the life that resists desire. 

"By the cynic, the sad, and the fallen, 

Who had no strength for the strife, 
The world's highway is cumbered to-day; 

They make up the item of life. 
But the virtue that conquers passion 

And the sorrow that hides in a smile — 
It is these that are worth the homage of earth, 

For we find them but once in a while." 

I leave the question with you to-day, my 
friends. What are the great underlying princi- 
ples of your life? Are you yielding absolutely 
to Jesus Christ, or are you going out and say- 
ing, "I will depend upon myself and will trust 
in myself alone" ? May God grant that we shall 
turn only to Christ, and put our hope and confi- 
dence in him, saying, as we sometimes sing: — 



110 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

"My hope is built on nothing less 
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; 

"I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 
But wholly lean on Jesus' name. 

"On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; 
All other ground is sinking sand." 



IX 
"THE LAME MAN HEALED" 



Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the 
hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man that 
was lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid 
daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to 
ask alms of them that entered into the temple ; who seeing 
Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive 
an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, 
said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to 
receive something from them. But Peter said, Silver and gold 
have I none ; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name 
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. And he took him by the 
right hand, and raised him up : and immediately his feet and 
his ankle-bones received strength. And leaping up, he stood, and 
began to walk ; and he entered with them into the temple, 
walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw 
him walking and praising God : and they took knowledge of 
him, that it was he that sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate 
of the temple ; and they were filled with wonder and amaze- 
ment at that which had happened unto him. 

And as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together 
unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wonder- 
ing. Acts 3 1 1-11. 



IX 

" THE LAME MAN HEALED" 

The healing of the lar,:.e man at the Beautiful 
Gate of the temple was not only a striking 
miracle, it was also a suggestive parable. There 
is the poor man lying just outside the temple 
courts, but he cannot enter in. Peter is passing 
by and is seeing him there, and then, in the 
name of Christ, reaching down his hand and 
lifting him up and together they are going on 
into the temple. That is not merely a piece of 
history. It seems to me that is a very beautiful 
picture of what is being done this very day, in 
the name of Christ; the power which is being 
given by faith in his name, the power by which 
men can rise and go on to a higher and a better 
life. There is too the picture of sympathy, by 
which one can stoop down, and take his brother 
by the hand, and in the name of Christ lift him 
up, and then go on with him into a new experi- 
ence of gladness, and service, and strength. 
8 113 



114 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

I. For instance, we might look upon the tem- 
ple as being the symbol of a life of prayer; 
and the entering into the temple as a picture of 
the entrance upon a life of communion and fel- 
lowship with God. It was the place of prayer 
that is the very story. Peter and John were 
going up to pray. They were passing into the 
house of God, the place of prayer; and it was 
then they saw this man lying at the gate, un- 
able to go in, excluded by the law, because he 
was lame. Then Peter reaches down his hand 
and lifts that man up, in the name of Jesus 
Christ ; and leads him into the place of prayer. 

You know there are some men here who have 
never been there, — I mean to the place of pray- 
er. There are some here to-day who do not 
pray, and who are just as truly outside of the 
temple courts as that poor man, whom Peter 
found at the beautiful gate of the temple. 

I remember very well the case of a certain 
railroad wreck. A man had been so injured 
that it was evident there was no possible hope 
for him. Some one saw his lips were moving, 
and came near and found that the sufferer was 
asking for some one to pray. So he turned about 
and said, "Is there any one here who can pray?" 
The men were ready to take off their hats and 
they felt deep sympathy, but there was not a 
man who could pray. Not one. That poor man's 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 115 

spirit passed on into eternity, and there was 
not one who could voice for him a prayer. Why 
not? What is the trouble? Why do some men 
not pray, and why do some men feel no joy 
when you remind them of the continual pres- 
ence of God? It is because of the sense of un- 
worthiness, it is the consciousness of sin, it is 
the feeling of dread in the presence of a holy 
God. It is because he is unknown, who is "the 
Way," as he is "the Truth," and "the Life." 
My joy here to-day is to speak the name of 
Jesus Christ, and to tell you that, whatever your 
life, whatever your character has been, in the 
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth you can to- 
day rise up and enter into the holy place of 
prayer. The way has been opened for you 
through the atoning work of Jesus Christ our 
Saviour. 

It sometimes seems to me that the whole 
work of redemption, the whole story of the 
Bible, is just about the way in which men can 
get back to God. There is the story of man 
sinning, and, because of his sin, shut out of the 
garden, where he has been communing with 
God. Then the story runs on until you see the 
cross erected on Calvary; and then, when the 
book is closing, you find that man is back in a 
paradise with its Tree of Life, and now "the 
dwelling of God is with men." 



116 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

God wants you to come back to him. He has 
made a way for you through the blood of Christ. 
There is no man here to-day who cannot, as he 
sits here, lift up his heart in prayer to God, 
and be sure that God will hear him if he prays 
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Oh, 
that you might rise up at the mention of his 
name and walk on into the life, where, every 
day, you could feel, not a dread of God, but a 
joy that God was with you, and so near that he 
would help you in your every sorrow, your 
every perplexity, your every care ! In the name 
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you who have 
been lying at the beautiful gate of the temple, 
and who have been fearing you never could en- 
ter in, I beseech you to rise up now, with faith 
in Christ, and pass into that life of fellowship 
and communion and prayer. 

II. Then, too, there is a very beautiful pic- 
ture here of the beginning of a life of real 
strength, a life of real liberty, a life of real 
power. Here is a poor man just outside the 
temple. He is only a burden to his friends. 
They bring him up every day and lay him there. 
Then he holds out his hand for alms. He can- 
not enter in; and he sees afar the ceremonies 
in the temple. He knows all about them, all 
about the fasts and the feasts and the festivals, 
but he cannot go in. He knows he is helpless. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 117 

He has not the strength to go in and keep all the 
law of God which is being observed in that tem- 
ple. Is not this a picture of more than one man 
that you know, lying at the gate and looking 
with wistful eyes upon a life where he could be 
free from his sin and free from his appetite 
and passion, free from his very self, wishing he 
might go on and live as other men live, in the 
presence of God, and keeping the law of God ? 

As Peter looks upon the poor man, we hear 
him say: "Silver and gold have I none; but 
such as I have, that give I thee. In the name of 
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." He has 
something better than gold; and he takes 
him by the hand and he raises him up and 
they enter into the temple. Faith in the name 
of Christ can effect a work like that. We may 
have everything else in the world, but if we 
have not faith in Christ we have not strength 
to live as we should live. 

You remember the story of the Pope who was 
walking with Thomas Aquinas in the beautiful 
gardens of the Vatican palace, at a time when 
the church seemed to be living far away from 
Christ, in unbelief, in impurity, and in moral 
impotence. You remember his remark as he 
pointed to the riches about him, "the time has 
long since passed when we needed to say, 'Silver 
and gold have I none.' " And the answer came 



118 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

very promptly, "Yes, and I fear the time has 
passed when you can say to the man who is 
helpless, 'Rise up and walk/ " 

It is always so ; you may have everything in 
this world that you hold to be good and dear, 
but if you have not faith in Christ you are un- 
able to lift the man who is lying helpless outside 
the gates. 

I knew of the case of a young man in the 
university who was addicted to drink, and his 
parents' hearts were breaking. They enlisted 
the sympathy of his classmates, and these men 
did everything in the world for the poor boy. 
They went to his room and studied with him; 
they walked with him, and lived with him. 
They brought every influence upon him, save 
the influence of Christ, and the more they 
seemed to strive for him the stronger seemed 
to be the appetite, and the more hopeless his 
plight. 

I remember another young man, in the uni- 
versity, who all alone, one night, on his knees, 
at his bedside, yielded himself up to Jesus 
Christ, and declared that he would depend upon 
Christ. That young man received strength and 
power to go on rejoicing into the higher life, 
It is perfectly possible. Oh, what weak men 
we are ! But there is power in Jesus' name, the 
divine power of a living Christ. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 119 

I was reading of one who was kept by his 
temper from leading a true life. He was like 
a man at the gate of the temple. He felt his 
need. He knew other people who were leading 
lives of sweetness and kindness, but he had no 
such power until he turned to Jesus Christ. 
When he turned to him and confessed him be- 
fore men, his wife had no sympathy for him; 
and not only that, she said to herself that she 
was going to try and see if there was anything 
in his Christian faith. It is not very hard for a 
wife to try the patience of a husband, if she 
wants to, and she wanted to. She made it 
pretty hard for him and finally one Sunday 
night, when he had been very long at the church, 
returning home, he found his door was locked 
and barred and bolted, and his wife would not 
open it. Then the old demon seemed to come 
back, and he was for battering down that door. 
But he thought of his Saviour, and he asked 
him to help him control his temper. He waited 
an hour, he waited two hours. He said after- 
wards that his Master seemed to be near him, 
and he kept on talking with him and asking 
for power. He waited until after one o'clock 
at night, and then the door was opened and his 
wife, who had not been sleeping, came out and 
said, "Oh, Tom, I want you to forgive me!" "I 
have nothing to forgive," he replied. Then she 



120 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

burst into tears and said, "Tom, you have just 
broken my heart, and I wish I had a Saviour 
like yours." And she found that Saviour. So, 
too, for every one of us, there is power in the 
name of Christ, and it is my great blessedness 
this afternoon to be privileged to speak face to 
face with you in the name of Christ and tell 
you, what I believe in my heart, that if you 
will put your trust in Christ at this hour, you 
may rise up and walk on into that life, which 
you have been longing to live. What a great 
multitude of men I seem to see this afternoon, 
who have thus risen up and are following after 
Peter and that poor lame man, on into the tem- 
ple of God. On and on, and they are passing 
up yonder and there they will sing as they are 
learning to sing here, "All hail the power of 
Jesus' name." They are to join that great 
blood-washed throng of those who to-day are 
rejoicing around the throne of God : "Saved by 
grace;" saved by faith in the name of Christ. 
III. Well, that is all true enough. But what 
I want to say to you last of all, I think best 
of all, is this. The part of the picture which 
perhaps you specially need to-day is the part 
v/hich speaks not so much of divine power, — 
you need that, some here especially need it, — 
but, Christian workers, members of Christian 
churches, perhaps the thing you need to-day, 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 121 

as you look out upon the helpless lives about 
you, is the beautiful picture of Peter, as he 
stoops down to take that poor man by the hand 
and lift him up; a picture of human sympathy. 
Why do you suppose he lifted him up? To 
strengthen the man's feet? No. To strength- 
en the man's faith. He wanted the man to 
feel that something was being done. And 
when the man heard him speak of Jesus, 
and then felt the grasp of Peter's hand, he be- 
gan to think that something was going to hap- 
pen. And something did happen. Peter 
strengthened the faith of that man and he rose, 
with faith in Christ, and walked on into the 
temple. 

There is some man here in West Philadelphia 
waiting for you, waiting for you to stretch out 
a hand and say : "Come, we will go on together 
into better life. You have tried it alone, but, 
come, we will go on together in the name of 
Christ." It is the hand of cheer, the hand of 
sympathy, that men need. The assurance that 
you love them and care for them is what they 
are waiting for. 

You remember the story told by Henry 
Drummond, of the shipwreck on the coast of 
Cornwall. A steamer had gone down, in the 
night, and the life-saving captain had sent this 
very unusual report: "Disastrous wreck last 



122 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

night. Forty-two bodies washed ashore. We 
rendered all the help we could, through a speak- 
ing trumpet." That is all the help they gave, 
through a speaking trumpet. My friends don't 
you think some of us go at the work of saving 
men, through a speaking trumpet? Are we not 
speaking at long range ? What we should do is 
just what Peter did. Some friend of yours is 
lying at the beautiful gate of the temple, and 
has not power to enter in. Go and take him by 
the hand and show your love for him ; and when 
you do that, you can be sure he will rise up with 
faith in Christ, and walk on with you into the 
temple of a truer and higher life. Men want to 
know we love them, and they will come with us. 
I remember another incident from the shores 
of Cornwall. This was the story of an old fish- 
erman, named Moses. It seems that when he 
was out one day with his boat, in some way 
or other, another man got afoul of his nets. 
This other man began to swear, and Moses 
asked him to stop swearing as it hurt him very 
much. But he swore all the louder, and cut 
Moses' nets all to pieces, and went on into the 
harbor. A few days later, while this man was 
drinking at a tavern his boat got loose, and 
Moses stepped into his own boat and went out 
on the rough sea and brought back this enemy's 
boat to shore. When the man came out, he was 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 123 

told what had been done. He turned and said, 
"Why did you do that?" "Well," said Moses, 
"I could not help doing it." "Why, don't you 
know I was the one who cut your nets ?" "Yes, 
but I could not help doing it because I loved 
you." "What kind of a man are you anyway?" 
"I am a Christian." "Well, Moses," he said, 
"I never saw a Christian before. What is a 
Christian anyway?" A Christian is a man 
who loves his neighbor just as he loves him- 
self." That fisherman threw his arms around 
the neck of old Moses and said, "I wish I were 
a Christian, too." Moses told him he could be, 
and that he would help him. To-day, there is 
no firmer, truer follower of Jesus Christ in that 
little village of Cornwall than the man who 
was saved because Moses showed him how he 
loved him for Christ's sake. 

Why not show our love ? There was that man 
in our own country — a man fallen into the very 
depths and hopelessness of sin — and some- 
body stretched out a hand to him and lifted 
him up out of the pit, in the name of Christ, 
showing him his love. He taught that man how 
to stand upon a rock; and that man began to 
speak to others and thousands were helped 
and encouraged through his work. I mean 
John B. Gough. What a blessed thing it was to 
be able to stoop down and take that man by the 



124 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

hand, and by a simple act of love draw him to 
his feet until, in the name of Christ, he went 
on into a higher, a truer, a helpful life! God 
grant us sympathy and love to stretch out the 
hand to the man who has fallen. 

"There are lonely hearts to cherish, 

While the days are going by; 

There are weary souls who perish, 

While the days are going by. 

"If a smile we can renew, 

As our journey we pursue, 
Oh, the good we all may do, 
While the days are going by! 

"There's no time for idle scorning, 

While the days are going by; 

Let your face be like the morning, 

While the days are going by. 

"Oh, the world is full of sighs, 

Full of sad and weeping eyes; 
Help your fallen brother rise, 
While the days are going by." 



X 

ANDREW 



Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his dis- 
ciples ; and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Be- 
hold, the Lamb of God ! And the two disciples heard him speak, 
and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned, and beheld them 
following, and saith unto them. What seek ye? And they said 
unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), 
where abidest thou? He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall 
see. They came therefore and saw where he abode ; and they 
abode with him that day : it was about the tenth hour. One 
of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was An- 
drew, Simon Peter's brother. He findeth first his own brother 
Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which 
is, being interpreted, Christ). He brought him unto Jesus. 
Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of 
John : thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, 
Peter). John 1:35-42. 

Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great 
multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we 
to buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove 
him : for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered 
him, Two hundred shillings' worth of bread is not sufficient for 
them, that every one may take a little. One of his disciples, 
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad 
here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes : but what are 
these among so many? Jesus said, Make the people sit down. 
Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, 
in number about five thousand. Jesus therefore took the loaves ; 
and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set 
down ; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would. 
John 6 : 5-11. 

Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up 
to worship at the feast : these therefore came to Philip, who 
was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we 
would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew : Andrew 
cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus. And Jesus answereth 
them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be 
glorified. Verily, verilv, I say unto you, Except a grain of 
wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone ; 
but if it die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life 
loseth it ; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it 
unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and 
where I am, there shall also my servant be : if any man serve 
me, him will the Father honor. John 12 : 20-26. 



ANDREW 

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was the 
first disciple to bring another man to Christ. 
In fact, he always seemed to be doing that sort 
of thing. We can hardly recall him in any other 
circumstances. His life is written for us in 
three brief chapters, and he is in each case 
concerned in the matter of introducing some 
one to his Lord. In the first scene, he is bring- 
ing his own brother ; in the second, he is bring- 
ing to Christ a small boy, who is carrying a 
few barley loaves and fishes. There is only one 
third scene in his life, which is drawn with any 
distinctness; and here he is endeavoring to 
bring to Jesus certain Greeks who have come 
to worship in Jerusalem, and who may be re- 
garded as representing the nations of the world. 
Here then is a man whose life as thus depicted 
is representative of those Christians who are 
seeking to bring to Christ those in their own 
households, and those in their own nation, and 
127 



128 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

those who are living in the uttermost parts of 
the earth. 

Andrew is the typical personal worker. 
It is no wonder that men who are leagued 
together with the purpose of saving their fel- 
low-men, have called their societies, "The 
Brotherhood of St. Andrew," or the "Brother- 
hood of Andrew and Philip. ,, This, too, is the 
supreme aim of the Christian Association. 
For this purpose it was formed; this has 
been its greatest achievement. We are using 
all our splendid equipment not merely for work- 
ing in the physical, social, and educational de- 
partments, but with the design of bringing men 
by means of these influences to a personal knowl- 
edge of Christ. It therefore will surely be an 
inspiration and an aid to us in our work, if we 
bear in mind some of the characteristics of a 
true personal worker, suggested by the life of 
Andrew. 

1. Courage is an absolute necessity. It is 
suggested to us by the very name Andrew, for 
this name means "manly," and the essential 
feature in manliness is courage. When Tom 
Hughes wrote "The Manliness of Christ," he se- 
lected this one feature in our Saviour's charac- 
ter. He practically wrote of the courage of 
Christ; for in his view courage and manliness 
seemed to be much the same thing. 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 129 

Andrew seemed to be what his name suggests. 
He brought his own brother to Christ ; that was 
a striking proof of his courage. It is not an 
easy thing to address a gathering of a thousand 
men, but it is a much more difficult thing to sit 
down and speak to your brother about the con- 
dition of his soul; it requires courage, and 
that too of a very high order. 

The courage of Andrew seems to have been 
due to the strength of his conviction. We hear 
him saying, "We have found the Christ." There 
was no doubt in his own mind. He was sure 
that he knew the Saviour. He had talked with 
him, he had lived with him, and now he can 
speak from a personal knowledge, and with a 
courage born of personal experience. Possibly 
our hesitation in undertaking personal work 
has been due to the fact, that our own knowl- 
edge of Christ is so imperfect, and our own ex- 
perience so incomplete. 

You may remember the old story of 
the poor mechanic, who was so deeply con- 
cerned about the spiritual condition of his 
wealthy employer. After much thought and 
prayer, he resolved to visit the wealthy skeptic 
in his own home, and when at last he was ush- 
ered into the presence of the proud unbeliever, 
he was so frightened that he forgot what he 
had expected to say, but with tears streaming 
9 



130 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

down his cheeks he was simply able to utter 
these words: "Oh, sir! I was so, so much con- 
cerned about your soul !" Some time after this 
his employer confessed his faith in Christ, and 
in doing so he said, "I could have answered any 
arguments which might have been advanced, 
but I could not withstand that man's earnest- 
ness." If we are convinced of our own salva- 
tion, and of the peril of our friends, we shall 
not so long hesitate about telling them that "we 
have found the Christ." 

The conscience, however, must be clean. Our 
own lives must be pure. The reason why it 
is usually so difficult to speak with a brother 
is, that our brother knows us so well. We re- 
member that he is familiar with all our weak- 
nesses, our failures, and our faults. Yet if we 
are sincere, and he knows we are seeking to do 
what is right; if, best of all, he sees the power 
of Christ manifested in our daily living, he is 
the one man in the world upon whom our in- 
fluence will tell for the most. When John B. 
Gough came to the close of his career, after 
speaking to tens of thousands of men, he was 
delivering an address here in Philadelphia, at 
our Academy of Music. Lifting his hand with 
an impressive gesture, he cried passionately, 
"Young men, keep your records clean." Let 
that exhortation ring in our hearts, if we are 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 131 

resolving to-day to undertake personal work 
for Jesus Christ. 

A short time ago, a political reformer was 
leading a great campaign in a western state. 
The bitterest of his enemies was seeking some 
ground of attack, and he urged one of his col- 
leagues to go to the town, in which the reformer 
had spent his early years, to discover some dis- 
creditable fact which could be used against him ; 
but the reply came immediately, "There is no 
use of our going there, that man's record is 
absolutely clean." No wonder the man could 
speak with dauntless courage, and no wonder 
he led in a victorious fight. Much more is it 
true that if we are to be of real service to others 
in the name of Christ, our lives must be free 
from reproach, consistent, sincere. 

Courage implies Perseverance. Obviously, a 
man of courage will not be discouraged. Have 
you ever remarked the persistence of an insur- 
ance agent? I read one report which stated 
that during one year, seventeen per cent of the 
policies written had been solicited within that 
year; eighteen per cent had been solicited dur- 
ing three years ; while the remainder, or sixty- 
five per cent, had been solicited more or less 
continuously during a period of from three to 
ten years. One agent was about to undergo 
an operation, and he wrote to his superior offi- 



132 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

cer that he regretted the necessity of spending 
four weeks in a hospital, but he said, he hoped 
to insure the surgeon, and at least one of the 
nurses, "and," he added, "a man can do a great 
deal by correspondence." What a spirit that 
would be to manifest in Christian work! Yet 
just such perseverance is needed, and some- 
times it is shown. There are two engineers 
present this afternoon, one of whom was 
brought to Christ by the brave effort of his fel- 
low, who sits beside him. One Sunday after an- 
other, he would call for his friend, and bring 
him to the gospel service. Month after month 
passed by. He would not be discouraged, and at 
last he had the joy of seeing the answer to 
his prayer, and of reaping the reward of his 
labor, as he beheld the one for whom he had 
been working, publicly accepting and confess- 
ing Christ as his Saviour and his Lord. 

II. We need Confidence in Christ. Our 
courage is not to spring from trust in self, but 
is to have its source in our belief that our Sav- 
iour will work through us for the salvation 
of men. It is this faith which is suggested by 
the second chapter in the life of Andrew. 
There was need of bread to feed five thousand 
men. Our Saviour had suggested that the dis- 
ciples should supply this need. Philip had 
spoken of the impossibility of meeting the de- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 133 

mand ; but Andrew is the one who is heard say- 
ing, "There is a lad here, who hath five barley 
loaves, and two fishes." It is also true that 
he added, "But what are these among so many?" 
It is quite probable that his faith did not an- 
ticipate the great miracle which our Saviour 
had in mind; yet when we read the story, we 
cannot but feel that something unusual was ex- 
pected by Andrew, and we cannot fail to have 
our own faith strengthened, when we see how 
much our Lord accomplished with a gift so 
small. Andrew did all that was in his power 
when he brought the boy to Christ, but Christ 
used the boy in working the miracle which 
brought relief to five thousand men. Are we 
willing to do the little thing which is within 
our power, believing that through us a great 
miracle can be wrought ? That is surely a very 
familiar story, but always an encouraging one, 
which tells us of the experience of Mr. Edward 
Kimball of Boston. He was teaching a Sunday- 
school class in the Mount Vernon Street 
Church. Among the boys was one from the 
country, who was not even able to find the 
places in the Bible; but Mr. Kimball became 
interested in him, and one day resolved to find 
him, and to ask him to accept Christ. As he 
drew near to the store in which the boy was em- 
ployed, he hardly knew what to say, but, as the 



134 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

story runs, he asked the Lord to use his sim- 
ple word to transform the life of this scholar 
When he entered the store, he found the boy 
employed in wrapping up boots and placing 
them on a shelf. He afterwards could hard- 
ly remember what he said, but it was something 
like this, "Do you not wish to yield your life to 
the service of Christ?" The reply came, firmly, 
"I will," and the decision was made. It seemed 
like a very little thing, but years after, when 
that boy had become known to the world as the 
great evangelist, D. L. Moody, it must have 
been a joy to Mr. Kimball to remember the lit- 
tle thing he had done. It was a great thing 
when measured by the thousands who were ul- 
timately affected by his work. How joyous An- 
drew must have felt on the day of Pentecost, 
when he knew that three thousand men had 
been saved by the preaching of that brother 
whom he, himself, had brought to Christ ! Some 
brighter day, you and I will be surprised to 
learn the result of those efforts which we have 
made in dependence upon Christ, as the result 
is measured in souls saved, and in lives trans- 
formed. 

III. Above all, we need Consecration if we 
are to be used in personal work. By consecra- 
tion, we mean an absolute yielding of self to 
the service of our Lord. This characteristic is 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 135 

suggested to us in the last scene of the life of 
Andrew. He has brought word to Christ that 
certain Greeks desired to see him ; and the Lord 
has made answer, "Except a grain of wheat 
fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself 
alone ; but if it die, it beareth much fruit." That 
was a strange answer to Andrew's request ; yet 
possibly the meaning was this, that only a cru- 
cified Saviour could be a real saviour, as the 
Master added, "And I, if I be lifted up from the 
earth, will draw all men unto myself." It may 
also have meant, that only a man who has 
yielded his life to the service of his Lord can 
be used to save his fellow-men, for our Saviour 
added, "He that loveth his life loseth it; and 
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep 
it unto life eternal." Surely our Saviour meant 
that if one is to truly serve him, he must take 
up his cross and come after him. It is interest- 
ing to remember the tradition that St. Andrew 
was crucified, and it is rather significant that 
the only apostle whose name is associated with 
a cross is Andrew, and all of us are familiar 
with the "St. Andrew's cross." Perhaps it can 
symbolize for us the truth which I am sug- 
gesting; namely, the necessity of self-sacrifice 
in carrying on personal work in the name of 
Christ. We must take up the cross. It will 
mean the loss of time ; it will mean the expendi- 



136 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

ture of effort; it will involve disappointment, 
and labor, and pain ; but it is worth the price, if 
by sacrificing self we can save a soul. 

A few days ago, a great convention was be- 
ing held, and four thousand young Christians 
were asking the great question, "How can the 
world be evangelized in this generation ?" A 
gavel was handed to the presiding officer by a 
representative of the Christian Associations of 
Japan, whose words I should like to quote in 
closing. "The head of this gavel," he said, 
"was brought from the grave of Joseph Nee- 
sima, the great Japanese hero, and Neesima 
once said, 'I have learned what is meant by the 
Old Testament story of the tree which made the 
bitter water sweet. The tree which will sweeten 
the life of the world is the life of a consecrated 
man. If you wish to take out of the world the 
pain, the woe, and the distress, it will only be 
as you give up your life to the service of others 
in the name of Christ/ " The speaker then 
added, "The head of this gavel came from '203 
Metre Mill' outside of Port Arthur. Again and 
again, the Japanese had taken possession of 
that hill, and had been driven back with terri- 
ble slaughter ; but when finally the position had 
been captured and the guns had been mounted 
there, the fall of Port Arthur was assured. 
Japan is the 203 Metre Hill of the Orient; if it 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 137 

can be taken for Christ, victory is sure; but if 
it is to be captured, we must have men of the 
same spirit as those Japanese soldiers. They 
had willingly offered their lives for the service 
of the emperor. They were absolutely fearless, 
and gladly yielded up life in the service of the 
master whom they served." Such a complete 
surrender of self must be made by us. It must 
henceforth be our supreme desire to be of 
service in saving men. Then at last that will be 
true of us which a distinguished Englishman 
wrote of his father : — 

"Thou wouldst not be saved alone 
Oh, my dear father, alone, 
Conquer and come to the goal, 
Leaving the rest in the wild. 
Therefore to thee it was given 
Many to save with thyself; 
And at the end of thy day 
Oh, faithful shepherd, to come 
Bringing thy sheep in thy hand." 



XI 
'THE CALL OF MATTHEW" 



And after these things he went forth, and beheld a publican, 
named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, 
Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose up and followed him. 

And Levi made him a great feast in his house : and there 
was a great multitude of publicans and of others that were sit- 
ting at meat with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes 
murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and 
drink with the publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering 
said unto them, They that are in health have no need of a 
physician ; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the 
righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5 : 27-32. 



XI 

"THE CALL OF MATTHEW" 

There is something absolutely fascinating in 
the sight of a life which is being transformed 
by the power of Jesus Christ. There is some- 
thing equally reassuring and encouraging and 
inspiring in the sight of such a change, because 
it always seems to say to you and me that the 
selfsame power of Christ will be exerted to- 
ward us if we will put our whole trust in him. 
For instance, there is a man seated yonder, 
whose name is Matthew. He is an outcast ; he 
is hated and despised. While he is engrossed 
in his usual occupation, at the receipt of custom, 
Jesus draws near and says, "Follow me." The 
man rises up immediately and follows after 
Christ, and becomes an intimate friend of that 
divine and sinless Saviour. Then, too, he be- 
comes more and more like Christ, and, at last, 
when the earthly work of Christ is finished, this 
man becomes the biographer of his Master, 
and writes the life of Jesus, that gospel which 
141 



142 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

begins the New Testament; and in all the ages 
to come that man, who was such a great sinner, 
is known as "Matthew the saint." 

When we look upon a sight of that kind we 
seem to hear something saying: "That is possi- 
ble for you. If you too will follow this Sav- 
iour he will do the same for you. He will 
transform you into his likeness, and use you in 
his service, and your name will be written in 
the honor roll of the saints of the living God." 
Is not that a reassuring story? 

I do not suppose that Matthew, when the 
story opened, was as good as most of us are 
to-day, probably somewhat worse; though I 
have sometimes imagined that he may not have 
been quite so bad as some have suggested. I 
mean to say that it is very easy to form an un- 
kind opinion of a man who is a politician, or in 
public life. When a man was a politician, in 
the olden time, and when he was called "a pub- 
lican" and "a receiver of customs," it was com- 
monly supposed that he must be a rascal, and 
that he was not worthy of anything save con- 
tempt. I do not know just how bad a man Mat- 
thew was, but I think this, he was probably 
something better than his reputation, — though 
that is not saying much for his character. But 
even if he were worse, he would have been no 
exception. Most people are a good deal worse 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 143 

than they are supposed to be. Now that sounds 
very unkind. I remember the beautiful words of 
the poet who expressed the wish that we might 
be able "to see ourselves as others see us." I 
imagine it would be a pretty serious thing for 
us if others could see us as we see ourselves. 
If they knew all our evil thoughts it might be 
a bad thing for us. Our reputations would go 
very rapidly. Suppose that in our case, as we 
have come up here this afternoon, well dressed 
and careless and content; suppose that every 
thought of every heart here was laid bare in 
the presence of all this great audience — all the 
jealousy, the unkindness, the impurity, the un- 
belief, the doubts, the religious indifference — 
suppose that all these things were known? 
Yet all these things are forming our characters, 
or are the outcome of our characters, and they 
are all known to God. 

So I would that we might begin to look upon 
ourselves as God looks upon us, and to believe 
that he knows all these things, in order that 
we might feel our absolute need, as men and 
women, of a power outside ourselves, to enable 
us to control these thoughts, — some power 
which may change our lives and mold our 
characters, that we may become, in truth, the 
children of God. 



144 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

I suppose, when Matthew the publican was 
seated at his place of business, on that particu- 
lar day when Jesus came by, he knew he had a 
bad reputation, but I believe he knew also that 
he had an evil heart, and so, when an opportuni- 
ty came, of receiving into his life a power which 
would transform his life, we find he is willing 
at once to accept that opportunity. 

It was a very simple invitation that came-- 
merely this, "Follow me." That was all — no 
words of quotation from the Old Testament, 
no sermon, no pleading, no promises, no condi- 
tions — simply this, "Follow me, follow me." 

I am very certain that every man here this 
afternoon has heard that call. Each one of us 
has at some time been urged to follow Jesus 
Christ. You know what the call implies. You 
understand that it means the turning away 
from every sinful thing, it means the taking 
of Christ as the one who died for your sin, to 
follow him and trust in him for power, and to 
seek to please him in all things. I am sure you 
have heard a call like that. It has come in 
earlier years, or it has come in times of peril, 
or in times of pain, and it seems that during 
these passing days, in the city of Philadelphia, 
that call from Jesus' lips, "Follow me," has 
been sounding out as we have not heard it before 
for years — not simply because a great mission 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 145 

is being held here, but because God's Spirit is 
moving throughout the city. There is not a 
man or woman who has not in some way been 
brought face to face with the question of their 
personal relation to Christ. Probably there is 
no one of us to whom the call has not come as 
clearly, as definitely, as truly, as it came to 
Matthew of old : "Follow me." 

What we need is not a clearer call to follow 
Christ ; what we need is more definite decision. 
Seated at the receipt of custom, he hears these 
two words, "Follow me," and then, "he for- 
sook all, and rose up and followed him." No- 
tice, it does not say that he "rose up," and "for- 
sook all and followed him." It says, "He for- 
sook all, and rose up." That is to say, while he 
was seated there at the receipt of custom, at the 
place of his usual daily task, he hears the words, 
"Follow me," and then and there, while still 
seated, before he had time to rise, he resolved 
that he would give up whatever he needed to 
give up, that he might follow Jesus Christ. It 
was a decision made instantly, as he heard the 
call. 

I know that the question has been raised as to 
whether men believe or should believe in "sud- 
den conversions." This conversion of Matthew 
was rather sudden. Probably all conversions 
are sudden— not if we mean to include all that 
10 



146 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

led up to the conversions. We are not to doubt 
that Matthew had heard of Jesus before. Jesus 
was then living in Capernaum. Matthew may 
have known much about him ; but a certain time 
came, when he heard Jesus say to him, "Follow 
me" ; and at that time he made his definite reso- 
lution to follow him. We do not claim that con- 
versions are sudden if by a conversion you mean 
all the change of character that comes to one 
after he has begun to follow Christ. But, if you 
mean that there comes a time when a man hears 
the call and when he responds, you will find that 
there is a moment, which is only a moment of 
decision. "Follow me." "He forsook all, and 
rose up and followed him." 

I would, as you hear the voice speaking to you 
to-day that you might say, "Lord Jesus, I fol- 
low on." 

"Saviour, I follow on guided by thee, 
Seeing not the hand that leadeth me. 
Hushed be my heart and still, 
Fear I no further ill, 
Only to do thy will, my will shall be." 

That was a sudden decision on the part of 
Matthew ; but it was a sincere decision, and you 
can prove its sincerity by this one fact ; namely, 
that he at once desired to confess his faith in 
Christ. He sends out invitations to all his 
friends. He gathers them into his own house 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 147 

for a great feast, and when they are all seated 
there, who is the guest of honor? Who? 
Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth. He is seated 
beside Matthew; and Matthew is saying to all 
his friends, "Here is my new friend, here is 
my Master and my Lord." It was a beautiful, 
open, honest confession of his faith in Christ. 
And do you not think that when a man really 
puts his trust in Christ, — if it is a sincere thing, 
if it is a real conversion, if the man desires to 
forsake his sin and become a new man, — do 
you not think it perfectly natural for him to 
confess that faith of his heart? You have been 
asked more than once whether it is necessary to 
join a church in order to be saved; and some 
one will say, "No, it is not necessary." "Must 
you stand up in public and say you are a Chris- 
tian?" Perhaps not, my friends. But let me 
say this: While we are saved by our simple 
faith in Christ, aside from every other condi- 
tion, if that faith is as sincere as it is simple, 
I cannot see how it will have any other result, 
first of all, than to make you wish to be known 
as a follower of Jesus Christ. Do not raise the 
question in your own case, "Can I be saved if I 
do not confess my faith in Christ?" but ask 
yourself this question, "Have I faith in Christ 
if I do not wish to confess him?" I do say 
that you should allow a very serious doubt to 



148 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

be raised in your heart if you think you trust in 
Christ and are not eager to have all your 
friends know just where you stand. Real faith, 
a devoted faith, a faith which will depend upon 
Christ for time and eternity, is the faith that 
leads a man to do exactly what Matthew did; 
namely, to let the world know just exactly 
where he stands in relation to Jesus Christ. 

I wonder how many men there are here to- 
day who have never been at a communion 
table, who have never observed the Supper of 
our Lord ? I wonder if there are not some men 
here who are church members, who have been 
away a long time from the table of our Lord? 
You may do practically what Levi did if you 
want to begin a Christian life, or if you want to 
renew your confession of faith. There will be a 
feast spread, and your fellow Christians will be 
sitting around the table of the Lord, some Sab- 
bath in the near future. Why not take your 
place there, and by that step openly, honestly 
and manfully say, "I belong to Jesus Christ, 
whose death we show forth by broken bread and 
outpoured wine"? How many men will resolve 
to-day to make such a confession? Do as Levi 
did, make a great feast, or sit down at such 
a blessed feast with those who love your Mas- 
ter and mine. 

Now I notice as the story closes that, as Levi 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 149 

has gathered these people in his home — publi- 
cans among them, notorious sinners among 
them, but Jesus in their midst, — I notice that 
the Pharisees have something unkind to say. 
You can be sure if you are to confess your faith 
in Christ some Pharisee will have something 
very unkind to say. Some man who is not 
as good as you will point the finger and say: 
"Is he a Christian? Does he go to church?" 
Mark you, he is not as good as you. He is a 
Pharisee; for a sincere and honest man will re- 
joice in every good step taken by any other 
honest man. A sincere man will rejoice when 
he sees his brother following Christ, even 
though he himself may be far away from the 
Master. These Pharisees were saying, "Is it 
possible that this Jesus eats with publicans and 
with sinners?" That intended criticism gave 
Jesus the opportunity of uttering a sentence 
which closes this story, but which has been a 
wonderful help to countless men. Do you re- 
member what Jesus answered ? Listen to these 
lovely words, so full of inspiration : "They that 
are in health have no need of a physician; but 
they that are sick. I am not come to call the 
righteous but sinners to repentance." Are you 
not good enough to say that you will take Christ 
as a Saviour? Are you not good enough to par- 
take of the broken body and shed blood? My 



150 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

dear friends, Jesus came to save sinners. If 
men had been good he never would have come. 
If you and I think we are good without his aid, 
I fear there is no Saviour for us; because he 
did not come to save good people; he came to 
save sinners. But if you and I are conscious 
that we are sinners, then here is the blessed 
Saviour standing so near and saying: "Now 
come, follow me. I have come into this world 
to save sinners." And he saved that man 
Matthew, that publican, to make every one 
feel that no matter how low he may be in pub- 
lic estimation, no matter how deep he may be in 
sin, he can be saved. That is the meaning, that 
is the inspiration, of the story. If you hear the 
call, follow on after Christ. 

There was a young man over in Dublin, a 
few years ago, who had wonderful skill as a 
sleight of hand performer. He was amusing 
crowded houses night after night. But, in or- 
der to fulfill his engagements, he was being 
thrown into the company of men and women 
whose lips were stained with impurity and 
whose lives were black with sin. He felt he 
was not in the right place. One night he heard 
a Christian worker speaking about Christ. 
That night, in his room, he knelt down to pray, 
— a thing he had not done before, for years. 
And as he knelt there he seemed to see a vision 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 151 

of the Saviour, of whom his sainted mother had 
often spoken to him. And this Christ seemed 
to say, "Follow me, follow me." But he said 
to himself : "I am not worthy to be a Christian 
I hate the life I am leading, but I am not able 
to follow Christ." Then there came to him 
this verse : "I am not come to call the right- 
eous but sinners to repentance"; and on his 
knees, he dedicated himself to the service of 
Jesus Christ. 

He came across to New York and began his 
studies as a medical student, and when he was 
graduated he said: "I will devote myself to 
the service of Jesus Christ, and help those in 
need, because I love him." He went back to 
Ireland as a medical missionary, helping the 
poor and the needy, and then, learning of the 
greater need in central Africa, where they had 
no physicians, and where there were millions 
of men dying in their woe, he said, "I will go 
down to Africa." He went to Africa and 
worked there on the Congo; and soon in a 
lonely grave his body was lying beneath the 
sands. But he followed his Master, and the 
story is not over. Up yonder there is a brighter 
part to the story of that life, so brief and so 
beautiful, of one who followed Christ. 

Last Monday morning I was speaking with 
the Christian worker who had been instrument- 



152 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

al in bringing this young man to Christ; and, 
as I close, I want to tell you, in a few words, 
the story of his own call and conversion. 

He was at the time a British sailor. He had 
been brought up in a lovely Christian home in 
old England, but he longed for adventure and 
he ran away from home and enlisted in the 
navy. Then he became wild and reckless and 
sinful; but God intended him to be a follower 
of his blessed Son. He called him in one way 
after another, but there was no heed given to 
the call. On one occasion, in the midst of a 
terrific storm, the man-of-war on which he 
was sailing was lifted on the crest of a wave 
and, in the darkness, he saw a great hulk loom 
up beside them. The two vessels just grazed 
one another. So near to death, storm, tempest, 
peril, — and yet no heed to the call. 

One bright Sunday morning, with a company 
of sailors, he rowed ashore to a little English 
village. It was early springtime. Out under the 
blue skies, amid the fragrant flowers, in the 
Sabbath quiet, he wandered into a cemetery. He 
looked on the different tombstones and read the 
inscriptions, about one and another who had 
passed on into glory. My friend said, "I was 
just wondering, as I looked at those stones, 
whether there was any chance that I would ever 
enter into heaven ; and I knew there must first 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 153 

be a great change in my life. I left the grave- 
yard," he continued, "and walked down the 
street and drew near to the chapel. The win- 
dows were open and I heard the children sing- 
ing this hymn : — 

'Around the throne of God in heaven, 
Thousands of children stand.' 

"That hymn was the hymn we used to sing 
at home with mother and with my sisters 
and brothers. A voice seemed to come into 
my heart saying, 'Follow me, follow me.' I 
went back to the ship, got a little Bible, 
went down into the hold of the vessel, and lay 
there with that Bible till I had read much of 
the story of Christ, and there I gave myself 
up to his service." Did he then hide his light 
and go on living just as before? He did not. 
No, Matthew makes a great feast when he con- 
fesses Christ. So this new follower of Christ 
met the men on that vessel and let it be known 
that he had decided to lead a Christian life. 
He had ridicule and unkindness to endure, but 
he was true to his Master. He lived to become 
a Christian physician, and in this country and 
in England he has been used of God to assist 
in sending one man after another out to distant 
lands to labor for Christ, who loved him and 
gave himself for him. 



154 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

That was a simple call, but the answer came 
and he followed on. This afternoon, as you sit 
here in the presence of the Master, if you will 
yield yourself to become a follower of his, he 
will transform your life, and he will make you 
of real service to your fellow-men and will bring 
you at last into the kingdom of glory with ex- 
ceeding joy. 



XII 
"THE WALK TO EMMAUS' 



And behold, two of them were going that very day to a 
village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from 
Jerusalem. And they communed with each other of all these 
things which had happened. And it came to pass, while they 
communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew 
near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they 
should not know him. And he said unto them, What communica- 
tions are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk? 
And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named 
Cleopas, answering said unto him, Dost thou alone sojourn in 
Jerusalem and not know the things which are come to pass there 
in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And 
they said unto him, The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, 
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all 
the people : and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered 
him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. And 
he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe 
in all that the prophets have spoken ! Behoved it not the Christ 
to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory? And begin- 
ning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to 
them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And 
they drew nigh unto the village, whither they were going : and 
he made as thoueh he would go further. And they constrained 
him, saying, Abide with us : for it is toward evening, and the 
day is now far spent. And he went in to abide with them. 
And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, 
he took the bread and blessed : and breaking it he gave to them. 
And their eves were opened, and thev knew him ; and he van- 
ished out of' their sight. Luke 21; 13-20, 25-31. 



XII 

"THE WALK TO EMMAUS" 

It must have been just about this time in the 
afternoon of that first Lord's Day, which we call 
Easter, when two men were seen going out of 
the northern gate of the Holy City and starting 
on their way to the little village of Emmaus. 
Their hearts were full of sorrow and they 
showed their anxiety and their distress by their 
countenances and by the way in which they were 
discussing a certain great problem. As they 
walk they are suddenly joined by a third per- 
son, Jesus, the risen Christ; but their "eyes 
were holden" so they do not recognize him, and 
he is himself disguised. (Mark said, "He was 
manifested in another form.") As he greets 
them he asks them what it is they are discuss- 
ing so earnestly. They turn in great surprise 
with downcast faces and ask him who he can 
be. "Is he a stranger? Has he been living in 
Jerusalem all alone? How does it happen he 
does not know the things that have been taking 
i57 



158 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

place during the past three days?" "What 
things ?" "The things concerning Jesus of Naz- 
areth. He was a great prophet. We thought 
him to be the Saviour who would redeem Israel ; 
but the chief priests have taken him and cruci- 
fied him, and it is the third day since these 
things happened. And some women who went 
out to his grave this morning came back and 
told us his body was gone, and that they had 
seen a vision of angels who said he had risen. 
And some of us went and found what the wom- 
en said was true, but him we saw not." 

Then Jesus turns, as you remember, with 
his loving rebuke: "0 foolish men, and slow 
of heart to believe in all that the prophets have 
spoken !" He then refers to the Scriptures, and 
shows how perfectly had been foretold the ne- 
cessity of the death of the Saviour and also 
his resurrection on the third day. While they 
talk they reach the little town of Emmaus, and 
as he seems to be passing on, they stop him with 
those familiar words: "Abide with us; for it 
is toward evening, and the day is now far 
spent." So as the darkness deepens he enters 
the house with them. He is seated at the table. 
He takes bread and blesses it and breaks it, 
and gives it to them. Suddenly their eyes are 
opened, and they recognize that it is Jesus with 
whom they have been walking and talking. But 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 159 

instantly he vanishes out of their sight. Then 
they rise with great joy and hasten back to the 
Holy City to tell his disciples that they have 
seen the risen Christ. 

Such is our Scripture lesson this afternoon; 
and I want to dwell upon the story long enough 
to emphasize one or two helpful truths. 

First of all we notice that the striking feature 
in this scene, and the most pathetic one, is 
the misery of those men, on the happiest day 
earth had ever known. The angels of God are 
singing and they have come to the tomb to tell 
the good news. Mary has heard it and her 
heart is full of joy. But here are these two 
men ; they have heard the glad tidings ; they are 
talking about Jesus, walking with Jesus and 
speaking to Jesus; but they are sad as they 
walk, and their hearts are full of grief. That 
is the first feature that interests me, because 
I rather think that some of us are not quite as 
happy as we ought to be to-day. I mean that on 
the very Sunday when all the world is rejoicing 
in a risen, living Lord, some of us have neither 
perfect peace, nor perfect joy, nor an unclouded 
hope. 

I spoke with a dear friend this noon who told 
me he had been wondering, to-day, whether it 
was worth while to live and struggle and suffer 
and mourn. He was disheartened, discouraged, 



160 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

in despair. I do not suppose any of us feel 
quite like that, but there are some shadows on 
all our hearts ; there is in every mind something 
of foreboding of the future and something of 
anxiety about the present, some worry about 
our homes, or our business, on this very day of 
days, a day of joy and thanksgiving and of glad- 
ness and hope. 

But why were those men sad on that day? 
Because they did not believe ; and unbelief is the 
cause of all our gloom. They did not believe 
the words which Christ had spoken to them. 
He had often told them that he would die and 
rise again. They did not believe what he said, 
no wonder they were sad on Easter day. Doubt 
brings darkness. I do not suppose any one here 
this afternoon can have much real joy unless 
he is believing in Jesus Christ. Unbelief has 
no cheer. Infidelity sings no songs. Unless 
you have accepted the words of Jesus, unless 
through him you have found peace with God, 
you cannot have peace, nor comfort, nor abiding 
hope. 

And then they did not believe the word which 
was written in the Scriptures. The Saviour 
had said : "Oh foolish men, and slow of heart 
to believe in all that the prophets have spoken !" 
I am very sure that as long as we are unwilling 
to accept God's word as a divine revelation we 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 161 

will never have peace of heart and mind. 
Never. Because, the great problems that need 
to be solved will be unsolved for us: the prob- 
lem of pardon and peace, the problem that 
death presents, the problem of the immortality 
of the soul. Every great problem finds its so- 
lution in the word of God, and unless we are 
willing to receive that as eternal truth, I do not 
see how the pathway of life can be full of sun- 
light and gladness and peace. 

They had not believed the word of the angels. 
Remember what they said: "Certain women 
went to the tomb this morning and they found 
the body was gone, but angels told them that 
Jesus was alive." Had they believed the an- 
gels' message, their hearts had been full of joy. 
God is sending us messages to-day, just as he 
sent the glad tidings by the angels of old. 
These anthems bring a message. These flowers 
are bringing their message. All the circum- 
stances which combine to remind us that this is 
Easter, are messages which God is using to tell 
us of a risen, living Lord ; and if we do not en- 
joy perfect peace and perfect gladness and un- 
clouded sunlight to-day, it must be because we 
do not in our hearts believe the messages which 
have come, not merely of a risen Christ but of 
a living and present Christ. That is it. I do 
not believe that a shadow could remain in our 
11 



162 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

hearts, if we believed Jesus Christ to be just 
as truly here, present in this room, and walk- 
ing with us as we return to our homes, as he 
was with those disciples at Emmaus. It would 
banish every fear and all our worry and all our 
anxiety and all our grief, if we believed in our 
hearts, what every one confesses with the lips, 
that Christ, the risen living Lord, is present with 
us to-day. He knows all about our sorrows, 
and as we go out into the night he will go with 
us and walk with us all the way. 

I suppose in after years those disciples looked 
back upon that walk to Emmaus with thanks- 
giving ; but I think it must have also been with 
something of regret, that, on that afternoon, 
they had so long failed to recognize that Jesus 
had been walking with them. I wonder wheth- 
er some of us may not look back upon this day 
with regret when we afterwards remember how 
little we realized the presence of Christ on this 
Easter Sunday, and how little comfort we found 
in the presence of our Lord. 

Perhaps some one is saying to me : "Well, how 
can I believe? How can I be sure? How can 
I feel that which I would like to feel, and real- 
ize the presence in which I profess to believe?" 
Just this one word further, then, before we sep- 
arate. Walk even as those disciples walked, with 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 163 

love in your hearts for Christ, and a heart 
yearning to know more about Christ. Walk, 
and you will find as you walk, more and more 
light, and a stronger and stronger faith. 

I read of a man who came to Dr. Torrey and 
said he was an infidel and could noi believe. He 
had heard sermons and had read the Bible, but 
he could get no light. Said Dr. Torrey, "You 
know the difference between right and wrong?" 
"Oh, yes, I am sure I do." "Well, are you will- 
ing to start out now and do the right every 
day?" "Oh, yes, I am willing to try that." "Very 
well. Now are you willing to do another thing? 
Are you willing to take the Bible and open it 
every day and read something in it every day?" 
"I will promise to do that." "Will you also 
promise that as you read, and before you read, 
you will look up and say, 'Oh, God, if there be a 
God, help me to understand these truths'?" 
"Well," said the skeptic, "I am willing to try, 
but I don't believe I could feel as you feel." He 
tried it. Are you surprised to learn that not 
very long after he came back with a smile 
on his face and joy in his heart saying, "I see 
the whole thing now. I seem to be swept along 
by a flood of emotion. I feel like shouting" ? I 
tell you, friends, when a man really gets his 
eyes opened to see Jesus Christ as a living, 



164 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

present Saviour, he cannot help feeling like 
shouting. He cannot fail to feel joy and to 
meet the difficulties of life with a new courage. 
If the matter of faith seems a little dim to you 
to-day, do not be discouraged. Seek for light. 
Try to learn more about Christ. Live as you 
think Christ would have you live ; live as though 
he were present, as he is, every hour of every 
day. Go to those places where you will hear 
about Christ. Go with those people who love 
Christ. I have no doubt that some day, as you 
walk with Christ or as he breaks for you the 
bread of life, your eyes will be opened and you 
will see more clearly than you have ever seen 
before the truth of his loving, gracious, abiding 
presence. 

This is the word of encouragement I wanted 
to give you to-day. Do not be disheartened, 
though the way seems dim and the truth hard 
to realize. Press on. All of us see through a 
glass darkly, but some day we shall "see face to 
face." I like to think of that promise that we 
are going to see him face to face. You remem- 
ber that hymn, one stanza of which is so en- 
couraging to us : — 

"I need thy presence every passing hour: 
What but thy grace can foil the Tempter's power? 
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be? 
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me." 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 165 

You know why that was written? It was 
written because a man had read the words of 
those disciples of Emmaus : "Abide with us ; for 
it is toward evening, and the day is now far 
spent." Henry Francis Lyte read those words. 
They were in his mind one Sabbath evening, the 
last evening he ever spent with his beloved par- 
ishioners. He had labored among them, he had 
poured out his life for them, and now his day- 
was drawing to a close. He seemed to realize 
it. He conducted a communion service. The 
bread was broken in the presence of the disci- 
ples, and the Lord seemed to be consciously 
present. When for the last time he had pro- 
nounced the benediction, he went back to his lit- 
tle home, there by the sea, and in the deepening 
twilight he sat down and took his pen and 
wrote these lines, with that thought and that 
prayer, "Abide with me." 

"Abide with me ! Fast falls the eventide ; 
The darkness deepens ; Lord, with me abide : 
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, 
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me." 

He did not know how near his life was to its 
end, but he wrote this stanza : — 

"Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; 
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; 
Change and decay in all around I see; 
O thou who changest not, abide with me." 



166 SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 

A few days later he left England and went 
to the continent in search of health, but in a few 
weeks he crossed "the narrow sea." He saw 
his Master face to face, yonder, in the glory 
land. 

I would that the hymn he left us might be 
your prayer at this evening hour. Your life 
may not be ebbing out; the day may not be 
drawing to its close, but, if you will pray with 
upturned face, to the Saviour, who stands near 
you: "Abide with me, abide with me"; if 
you will take him into your home and life as 
they received him on that Easter evening; if 
you will say to Christ to-day: "Blessed Lord 
Jesus, though I do not seem to realize thy pres- 
ence, though I do not understand a great deal 
that is written about you, I want you to come 
into my heart; I want you to come into my life:" 
— if that is your prayer, if you are willing to 
take Christ as your Guest and Friend and Mas- 
ter and Lord, then every morning and every 
evening his face will grow brighter and bright- 
er before you; and some day you will be sur- 
prised to find that, in the darkness that is deep- 
ening, when with failing vision you are look- 
ing out upon your friends, when they are say- 
ing, "Yes, he is slipping away from us now;" 
when all the earth has grown still and dim, I 
tell you, some day, your eyes will be truly open- 



WITH RAILROAD MEN 167 

ed, and you will look upon the glorious face of 
Jesus Christ your Saviour. That vision will 
not grow dim. In Emmaus, as soon as they 
recognized him, he disappeared. Not so for 
you and me. At eventide, or when the dark- 
ness is deepening to midnight, of a sudden there 
will be a burst of light, and the bright shining 
of the Saviour's face. That glory will never 
fade through all eternity. 

'That will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me; 

When by his grace I shall look on his face 
That will be glory, yes, glory for me." 



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